Watamu Marine National Park

Haven of the Green Sea Turtle and the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin

Green turtles, unique coral gardens, the Gede Ruins – the Watamu Marine National Park & Reserve has it all. The park is part of a complex of marine and tidal habitats along the Kenya’s north coast with rich and diverse bird life, fish, turtles and dugongs.

With an international reputation for its white sandy beaches and reef protected lagoons with abundant fish life and spellbinding coral gardens, Watamu Marine Park and Reserve is an excellent example of a pristine, marine protected area. Located in the Kenya’s north coast, the Protected Area is home to some of the Kenya’s famous ‘Marine Big Five” such as the Sea turtles, whale sharks, dolphins, whales and billfish. You may see the humpback whale migration, the marine part of the double natural phenomena, which occurs simultaneous to the annual wildebeest migration dubbed “The Twin Migration”.

Attractions & Activities

Key attractions to this Marine Protected Area include; 5 species of sea turtles, 3 species of dolphins and whales, the coral gardens, Mida creek, the adjacent Gede Ruins and Arabuko Sokoke Forest, the last remaining indigenous coastal forest.

Visitors can enjoy sunbathing, diving, deep sea sport fishing, watersports, glass bottom boat rides, snorkeling, bird watching, canoeing, nature adventure and dolphin watching. Whale watching is seasonal during the humpback whale migration. Dolphin watching is at its best from October to early April. The Mida Creek and Whale Island host over 200 species of local and Migrant birds including the Osprey, Eurasian Golden Oriole, White-throated Bee-eater, Black Cuckoo-shrike and African Pygmy Kingfisher Sanderling, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Grey Plover, and Greater and Lesser Sandplover, Dimorphic Egrets and Roseate Terns. The Roseate and Bridled Terns nest on Whale Island between June and October with 1,500 pairs of Roseate Tern having been counted.

The Mida Creek is best explored and discovered by dhows for the best sundowner shots while gazing at flamingos and juvenile green sea turtles if you are lucky.