Chuchungi House stands low behind the dunes on the southern shore of Lamu Island, taken by one group at a time and reached by a thirty-minute speedboat run down the mangrove channels from Lamu town. No road reaches this stretch of coast. Waterskiing, snorkelling and creek swims start at the beach. The pool lies in the garden behind the dunes.
Waterskiing, snorkelling and creek swims start at the beach.
The house belongs to Ed and Moon Hough, the couple behind Moon’s Camp in Laikipia. They run it themselves rather than through a management company. Moon came from travel and hospitality. Ed handles building projects and keeps a collection of vintage vehicles running. The pairing is deliberate, Moon’s Camp in the Lolldaiga Hills for the bush and Chuchungi House for the coast, with one team for both halves of a Kenyan trip.
The speedboat and its captain belong to the house. Mornings go to reefs, afternoons to mangrove creeks. Guests waterski or ride the donut straight off the beach, snorkel the coral, then swim in the still creek water behind the island. Kitesurfing and deep-sea fishing can be arranged locally, and paddleboards live on the veranda.
Mornings go to reefs, afternoons to mangrove creeks.
A chef cooks whatever comes off the boats: crab, lobster, tuna, fishcakes, and coastal curries loosened with coconut, lime and tamarind. Dinner might be on the roof, in the garden or by candlelight on the sand, and the crew set up sandbank picnics and beach dinners. Lamu Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the cafés of Shela are a boat ride away, as is Kipungani village next door.
The run from Manda is thirty minutes of mangrove channel and salt spray, and the house shows itself only at the end, low behind the dunes on Kizingoni Beach on the southern shore of Lamu Island. Thick plastered walls and high ceilings keep the rooms dark and cool through the middle of the day, arched openings and carved wood mark the doorways, and makuti thatch shades the veranda where most of the living happens. The cement floors stay bare and cool underfoot, and the garden runs down to the sand.
An outside stair climbs to the flat roof, which catches breeze from both the ocean and the creek side of the island, which is why yoga mats, sundowners and long lunches tend to end up there. There is no reception desk and no set mealtimes. Days are negotiated over fruit and eggs on the veranda: a sandbank for lunch, a swim, a dhow at six. Children are easily absorbed into this, with bedrooms that interconnect, safety gates at the pool, babysitting arranged in advance and homemade fish fingers from the kitchen. Older children tend to get more out of the boat days.
Dolphins work the channels and shorebirds pick over the tideline in front of the garden.
Kizingoni Beach runs empty in both directions, and ghost crabs skid across it ahead of you. Dolphins work the channels and shorebirds pick over the tideline in front of the garden. Sea turtles nest along the beach itself. Fishermen pull nets along the shore in the early morning. Game viewing belongs to the Laikipia half of the trip; Lamu supplies water, Swahili towns and the slow end of an itinerary. The staff come from the surrounding villages.
Guided village visits next door can be arranged. The rest of the coast comes by water: Lamu Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the cafés of Shela, and a yoga studio down the beach for anyone who would rather not climb to the roof.
accommodation
Three bedrooms are taken by one group at a time, airy behind thick plastered walls, with high ceilings and shutters open to the sea breeze. Each has a walk-in shower, robes and a safe. The master opens onto its own terrace, two bedrooms can be set up for children next to their parents, and Wi-Fi reaches throughout.
activities
Waterskiing, wakeboarding and donut rides from the beach, snorkelling on the reefs, paddleboarding, creek swims and fishing that supplies dinner. Dhow sailing at sunset, sandbank picnics and beach dinners. Yoga on the roof or at a studio down the beach. Boat trips to Lamu Old Town, Shela and Kipungani village.
conservation
A nightly conservation fee is carried on every stay and goes to protecting this stretch of coastline, its reefs and the mangrove creeks behind the island. Kipungani village sits next door, and guided visits can be arranged for guests who want to see it.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
You fly to the coast. A light aircraft from Nairobi's Wilson airport reaches Lamu's airport, which is actually on Manda Island next door, in around an hour and three quarters.
The house's own speedboat meets you at the airport jetty and runs you through the mangrove channels to the beach in about thirty minutes, and that transfer is included in the stay. If you would rather travel privately, we can charter a Cessna Caravan or a Pilatus PC-12 and time it to your international arrival.
Coastal flights tend to be a little more generous on luggage than the bush routes, but a soft duffel is still the sensible bag. Flying in via Mombasa is possible too, if that suits the shape of the rest of the trip.
Yes, and the Kenyan coast is one of the higher risk parts of the country for it. Lamu is low, hot and humid, which suits mosquitoes, and both TravelHealthPro, the UK's official travel health service, and the CDC treat the coast as a malaria area with transmission all year and more of it through the rains. Both recommend antimalarial tablets for it.
We do not make medical recommendations, and we would not want to. We arrange travel; we are not doctors. Which tablets suit you, how they sit with anything else you take, and what is right for a child are questions for your own doctor or a travel clinic. On the practical part, dusk is the hour that matters, so long sleeves, long trousers and repellent are worth the packing space.
Hot and humid the year round, with the sea breeze doing the cooling. Two monsoons set the rhythm: the Kaskazi from December to February brings calm, clear water, and the Kusi from June to September is breezier. April and May carry the heaviest rain and the roughest seas.
Pack light, breathable clothes, swimwear, a hat and serious sun protection, and reef shoes for the coral. Lamu is a Muslim island, so bring something that covers shoulders and knees for Lamu Old Town, Shela and the village next door, and keep the swimwear for the beach and the pool.
For flat water and the best snorkelling, come in the Kaskazi months from December to February, when the days are hot and dry and the sea is at its clearest. October is a quiet, clear spell with fewer people about. The Kusi from June to September carries more wind, which suits sailing and kitesurfing better than snorkelling.
We would steer you away from April and May. The rain is heaviest then, the sea is rough and the water clouds up, which takes the point out of a house built around reefs and creeks.
Yes, more than most people expect. This is a strongly tidal coast, so the shape of the beach, the depth for swimming and the timing of the boat runs all shift through the day. Days here are worked around the tide rather than to a timetable, which is why plans tend to get settled over breakfast.
It pays to be flexible about exactly when you head out. A sandbank picnic, a creek swim and a run out to the reef each have their own window, and the crew will pick the right one.
There is no road to this side of the island, so everything comes and goes by boat. Lamu Town is a short run away and has the island's referral hospital, which now runs an intensive care unit and a CT scanner, and there is a clinic at Shela for the ordinary things: consultations, a pharmacy and basic tests.
Anything serious in Kenya is handled the same way wherever you are, by air evacuation to Nairobi, and we can put flying doctor cover in place as part of the booking. It is worth carrying proper travel insurance alongside that, because evacuation cover and medical insurance are not the same thing.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
