East Africa
Mombasa
Kenya
A Swahili coast city older than most of Europe's capitals.
The culture
Why we bridge here
Mombasa is an island city on the Indian Ocean whose Old Town has been trading with Arabia, India and Persia for a thousand years. Fort Jesus still guards the harbour, and the whole coast runs on Swahili time.
This is the heartland of Swahili civilisation: a coastal, Islamic, seafaring culture with its own architecture, poetry and cuisine. Taarab music drifts out of doorways, and the food — pilau, biryani, coconut curries — carries the whole trading history in it.
Experience
What you'll do
- Fort Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Old Town spice and alley walk
- Dhow sail on the Indian Ocean
- Haller Park
- Nyali beach day
After dark
Nightlife
- Sunset dhow cruises
- Live taarab music in Old Town
- Beachfront bars in Nyali
The bridge
Teaching sessions with your hosts
- Swahili language and coastal etiquette
- The Indian Ocean spice trade and Swahili civilisation
- Coastal cooking: pilau, biryani and coconut