Takwa Ruins
Takwa
The ruins of a 15th–17th-century Swahili town on Manda Island, with a great mosque and pillar tombs hidden in the woodland.
Takwa was abandoned around the 17th century due to a lack of fresh water. The site includes walls, the foundations of about 100 houses, a great mosque facing Mecca and pillar tombs about 5 metres high. It is still a place where locals pray for rain. You need to charter a boat from Lamu or Shela, passing through a mangrove channel, and you can only enter and leave at high tide. The one-way trip takes about 40 minutes. The site is managed by the National Museums, with entry of about KSh 500, and mosquitoes are plentiful in the woodland.
Opening hours
08:00–18:00
Nearby sights
- Manda Island
- Shela
- Shela Beach
- Lamu Dhow Sunset Sail
- Lamu Seafront
- German Post Office Museum
- Lamu Old Town
- Lamu Fort