Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Kenya

Heading away for a vacation is something millions of people look forward to every single year. It provides you an opportunity spend quality time with family, friends, or whomever you are traveling with. It also gives you a break from the daily toll that life can take.

When you head to a tropical paradise like Mombasa, depending on the time of year you plan your trip, you could be exposed to a wide range of weather conditions. When you’re in Mombasa you might experience some torrential downpours, severe weather, and other incredible natural events. This doesn’t have to put a damper on your vacation, especially if the rain lasts for an entire day or even a couple of days.

No matter where you go, aside from a few places across the entire planet, you’re going to be exposed to the risk of severe weather. How you handle these situations will determine how well you enjoy your overall trip.

Plan ahead for potential rain and severe weather events.

There are plenty of things you can do even when it’s raining. Visiting Fort Jesus or heading to downtown Mombasa to see the galleries and shops could be a great rainy day event. Plan to do these things either at the end of your vacation or on a day when it rains. If you do these things on a gorgeous day in the beginning of your trip and then it rains for two or three days on end, you could be feeling a bit frustrated that you missed out on quality time at the beach.

Pay attention to weather alerts.

Just as you would do this at home, make sure you heed any severe weather alerts or warnings. If you’re at the beach, snorkeling, swimming, or just enjoying the afternoon, if you notice certain warnings go up about rip currents, strong winds, or severe weather on the way, heed those warnings and head back to your hotel and reset for the rest of the day.

How you handle extreme weather will often depend on how well you plan for it. When you plan ahead for the potential for some bad weather, you’ll enjoy your trip that much better.

Whether you travel to Mombasa on vacation by yourself, with some friends, or with family, you may be interested in the nightlife options here. Mombasa is renowned for its nightlife and even though you may spend your days at the beach, going on safari, or heading over to Fort Jesus for some culture and history, nighttime is when many people really let their hair down and have some fun.

There are so many things to choose from in Mombasa, from traditional shows, music, and even cabaret that you could do something different every single night and have an experience of a lifetime.

Bob’s Bar is more of a trendy experience designed for younger patrons. It offers an incredibly wide terrace overlooking the city and has two open air bars to choose from. At night, the restaurant area is cleared out and turns into a fun, exciting dance floor. It is also one of the few places you’ll find in Mombasa that accept credit cards.

The Bora Bora Night Club is one particular place that you will have a great time at night. It is geared toward a more adult crowd and features Russian dancers as well as local entertainers. It is along the north coast, and a quick ride from numerous major hotels.

Pirates Beach Club is the ideal place if you enjoy beach style bars. It is situated right along the Indian Ocean and during the day it’s a restaurant. At night, though, it transforms into an exciting dance area with state-of-the-art music and lighting. You can enjoy watching the waves roll in while also getting down to the latest hip-hop and other dance music.

Club Cuba Libre is more in line for those who enjoy a nice jazz environment. The name has changed many times through the years, and even though it’s not just a jazz only club, it is still a great place for adults to hang out. On different nights you could experience salsa, karaoke, and some amazing local live bands.

This is just a small sampling of the many options for nightlife in Mombasa.

Mombasa – White Sandy Beaches

Spending some time in Mombasa, Kenya for a vacation can be extremely a relaxing and fun. If you are traveling there for business or with family, there are plenty of attractions to keep you busy for the duration of your trip.

Below are some of the key tourist attractions that make Mombasa such an ideal destination for almost anyone in the world.

White Sandy Beaches

The white sandy beaches of Mombasa, such as Nyali beach, are soft, luxurious, and lead to some of the most gorgeous, turquoise waters that you will find anywhere in the world. You can go snorkeling all day in these tropical, bath-like waters or take part in a Scuba adventure, exploring coral reefs, shipwrecks, and much more.

The Famous Elephant Tusks

Built in the 1950s as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II who was visiting Mombasa, Kenya for the first time, these elephant tusks are made from ivory and they are essentially an entryway into Old Town, Mombasa. Their history and significance are part of what makes Mombasa such an ideal vacation destination.

Craft Markets

Throughout Mombasa you’re going to find numerous craft markets where locals, including children, developmentally disabled adults, and many others create works of art that could be a great souvenir to take home with you.

Fort Jesus

Built by the Portuguese in the 15^th century, this fort has changed hands numerous times throughout history, yet it continues to remain steadfast and strong overlooking the entry waters into Mombasa. No trip to Mombasa is complete without a trip to Fort Jesus.

Downtown Mombasa

If you’re looking for some nightlife fun, great cuisine, and much more, you can’t go wrong by spending some time in downtown Mombasa. There are some incredible five-star restaurants, amazing nightlife that combines locals and tourists all moving together to the sound of incredible music and beats.

These are just a few of the many reasons why a Mombasa vacation could be ideal for you and your family.

Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Kenya

When you go away on a vacation, you want to make sure you get the best. Whether you’re heading somewhere in country or you’re planning to spend a week or two in the tropical destination of Mombasa, Kenya, you want the best.

You know that Mombasa is known for its white sand beaches, gorgeous turquoise waters that glisten like diamonds in the summer sun, and the incredible people who make this part of the world special. You also know that staying close to the heart of the action –meaning the shops, restaurants, and night life- will make your vacation that much more special.

In order to get the best, consider the Lotus Hotel in downtown Mombasa. Here you’ll get to experience the full breadth of culture that this Kenyan city has to offer. You’ll be just a few short steps away from the town center where you can find all sorts of businesses, shops, and even banks.

You’ll also discover the various markets that make this place so extraordinary. You can also find yourself just a short drive from Fort Jesus and Old Town, where you will see the magnificent ivory tusks that were built to honor the visit by Queen Elizabeth.

When you stay at the Lotus Hotel, you’ll also be able to enjoy various recreational activities, like a day on the links at the Mombasa Golf Club or if you prefer to knock those fuzzy yellow balls around, head over to the Myita tennis facility.

The building itself that is the Lotus Hotel is a historical Kenyan site for its amazing architecture. Just staying here will be an incredible experience, but you also get to enjoy the many wonders of the world beyond those amazing windows and balconies.

Stepping into the Lotus Hotel in Mombasa you will feel as though you’ve just been whisked away to another world, and isn’t that the whole point of a wonderful vacation getaway?

No matter where you live in the Northern Hemisphere, this winter has already become quite a handful. From massive ice storms to incredibly Arctic frigid air masses holding in place for extended periods of time, it’s enough to make anybody weary about winter. If you’re tired of this winter already, there’s still time to make plans and get away for a week or more to a tropical paradise known as Mombasa, Kenya.

This tropical destination offers incredible beauty, amazing culture, and a wealth of opportunities for people to explore, see natural wildlife they just don’t get to see at home, and swim in crystal clear, turquoise waters that gently kiss white sandy beaches.

In Mombasa, you will find friendly people, great accommodations, and some of the best weather anywhere in the world. You can stay in one of dozens of incredible hotels throughout Mombasa, relax poolside while sipping a tropical beverage, basking in the sun and working on your tan.

You could also head to Fort Jesus to see one of the iconic images and cultural attractions here. You could also head to downtown Mombasa, walk along the marketplace, and see the incredible artwork created by developmentally disabled and challenged adults and children that can inspire you when you return home.

If you’re looking for something completely unique that you can’t find anywhere else close to home, visit one of the wildlife sanctuaries here and see elephants, giraffes, and other amazing creatures roaming free in their natural habitat.

When you spend time in Mombasa, you will return home feeling refreshed, recharged, and ready to take on whatever life throws your way. Winter can be tough, especially when the frigid temperatures don’t want to ease their grip, but when you get away for a week or two to this incredible destination, winter won’t faze you quite the same way again this season.

If you are traveling to Mombasa from a considerable distance away, you may end up in a completely different time zone. If you travel more than five time zones away from your home, you may experience what is commonly referred to as “jet leg.”

Jet lag is the phenomena where your body is still on your hometown time zone and that means you may feel exhausted at 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon, Mombasa time.

Getting out of jet lag as soon as possible is one of the best ways to maximize the enjoyment you should have in this tropical paradise. In order to get the most out of your vacation, deal with jet lag head-on.

Know what to expect.

If you are traveling from Canada or some other part of the world, you should expect a significant amount of jet lag once you arrive in Mombasa. You can prepare for it by changing your sleep patterns a few days before your flight is scheduled to leave. This will help your body become a bit more acclimated to the time zone in Mombasa.

When you land, avoid going to sleep early, even if you are completely exhausted. Try to sleep on the plane as this can help to mitigate the jet leg you feel once you are in Mombasa.

If 10:00 PM your time is 9 o’clock in the morning in Mombasa, try to avoid going to sleep or heading back to the hotel until at least 8 PM Mombasa time. That will certainly feel more like three in the morning back home, but if you can manage this on your first day and then sleep through the night, you will wake up refreshed and already closer to being on Mombasa time.

When you are closer to the actual time in your vacation destination, you will have more energy and be more enthusiastic throughout the day. That can help you enjoy your vacation so much more.