Kijani House Hotel

Kijani House Hotel - Lamu Kenya coast

Kijani Hotel is located in the village of Shela, on the island of Lamu – just off the Kenya Coast in a 3,000 sq. metres of tropical garden with two fresh water swimming pools. Kijani Hotel Lamu has 10 rooms spread throughout the garden into three small separate traditional Swahili buildings which formerly were private homes.

Two aquamarine pools glow gently in the shade of giant kunazi trees, small tables and beach chairs lie in the shade of a profusion of different species of palm trees, and flowering flamboyant and yellow oleanders branch out over large terraces that face the ocean. ‘Kijani’ means green in Kiswahili, at once invoking the colour of Islam, the small hotel’s verdant gardens, and new growth.

Swiss owner Pierre Oberson created Kijani House to revive the tradition of stone Swahili houses and create an authentic retreat for visitors looking to experience Lamu’s past. It took Pierre more than ten years to rebuild the hotel from the ruins of three old houses, and he used only traditional methods and materials in the restoration.

Kijani’s rooms and gardens are filled with antiques or handmade replicas of the furniture, lanterns, ornaments, and utensils that graced the stately houses of Lamu’s past. Copies of Old Portuguese lanterns hang from white archways. An arrangement of ceramic water pots stand – used to carry oil and water aboard ships centuries ago – stand under the shade of a palm tree. Members of the village even borrow Kijani’s ceremonial chair, crafted from hardwood and wickerwork on the nearby island of Siyu, for weddings and special occasions.