Where to stay in Kilifi: Peaceful Stays Along the Kenyan Coast

Kilifi is much more than a strip of identical beach front hotels. Accommodation ranges from boutique cottages, to eco-lodges and backpackers. Here is a comprehensive guide of where to stay while visiting Kilifi. 

1. The Twisted Fig 

The Twisted Fig offers on site accommodation set within 50 acres of protected forest, making it perfect for your next nature retreat. Here you have the option to pick between two self-contained cottages, equipped with Wifi, a private verandah and kitchenette, or safari style tents with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. The Twisted Fig accommodation is a short walk away from the restaurant, which is ideal when you want to eat something gourmet from our menu. Waking up to bird song and the wind rustling through the trees, the Twisted Fig accommodation is a peaceful nature escape that promises that you’ll leave feeling rested and rejuvenated. 

2. Salty’s Kite Surfing Village 

Salty's Kitesurf Village sits on Bofa Beach, built around an IKO-accredited kitesurfing centre with a boutique hotel, bar, and restaurant attached. Rooms range from budget shared "Surfers Economy" options to private suites with garden views. Whether you’re planning your next watersports vacation or looking for somewhere with beach views to recuperate, Salty’s Kite Surfing Village is definitely one to consider.

3. The Shamba Community 

The Shamba is a small, garden-set guesthouse in Kilifi offering private rooms and cosy tents. They have a shared kitchen, an outdoor fireplace and picnic area. The location is pet friendly and truly cultivates a sense of community. It's a quieter, more residential option, closer to staying at a friend's place than a hotel. 

4. Distant Relatives 

Distant Relatives is an eco-lodge and backpackers on Kilifi Creek, about 3 kilometres outside town. Rooms range from double and family rooms to dorm beds. The lodge runs on permaculture principles with composting toilets, greywater systems, and handcrafted furniture from recycled materials. From Distant Relatives you can access the Creekside beach, there’s a communal kitchen, and a restaurant on-site.

5. Silver Palm Spa and Resort 

Silver Palm Spa and Resort is a 4-star beachfront property in Mnarani, perched on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. It has 38 rooms across a mix of standard rooms and suites, three restaurants, a full-service spa, an outdoor pool, and tennis courts. It's the more conventional resort option in Kilifi, suited to travellers who want spa days and structured amenities alongside the coastline.

Ready to book your next vacation in Kilifi? The Twisted Fig offers two private cottages and four safari-style tents set within the forest grounds, available year-round. Check availability and book here.

What to do in Kilifi: A Guide to Kenya’s Creek Town

Many travellers skip over Kilifi, underestimating it and instead returning to places like Malindi or Watamu. Here are unique Kilifi experiences that are worth visiting for. From water-sports activities in the Creek to unique geographical attractions and experiences in the forest. 

Panga ya Saidi Caves

Panga ya Saidi is an archaeological cave site about 15 kilometres inland from the coast, with excavated deposits showing human activity going back roughly 78,000 years — among the longest continuous archaeological records in East Africa. The cave has domed limestone walls and an open ceiling with trees growing up through the floor, and it's still an active sacred site for the local Mijikenda community. Guided tours cover the excavation history and the cave's role as a refuge during the East African slave trade.

The Twisted Fig Suspension Bridge 

The Twisted Fig Bridge is a suspension bridge connecting Kilifi Plantations to The Twisted Fig, offering an on-foot alternative to arriving by road. Crossing it gives a view over the forest canopy before reaching the restaurant grounds. It’s worth doing even just for the walk, before or after a meal.

A Dhow Ride into the Creek 

A dhow ride is one of the simpler ways to see Kilifi Creek — a traditional sailing vessel gliding across the water rather than a speedboat cutting through it. It's typically arranged through lodges and tour operators along the creek and makes for an easy half-day outing, especially timed for sunset.

Mtwapa Ruins 

Mtwapa Ruins is an archaeological site south of Kilifi with standing coral-stone structures, including a former congregational mosque, from a settlement believed to date back centuries. It sits alongside other coastal ruins in the area, including nearby Jumba la Mtwana, and gives a sense of the trading towns that lined this stretch of coast long before it became a tourist route.

Watersports at 3 Degrees South 

3 Degrees South is a watersports school and rental centre based on Kilifi Creek, offering sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and waterskiing. It's the only RYA-accredited sailing and windsurfing training centre in Kenya, with lessons for complete beginners and equipment for those who already know their way around a boat. The creek itself, with mangroves lining parts of the water and a bridge to sail under, is as much a reason to go as the sports.

Ready to book your next vacation in Kilifi? The Twisted Fig offers two private cottages and four safari-style tents set within the forest grounds, available year-round. Check availability and book here.