Gede Ruins

Tickets and tours: all the options

There is nothing to book in advance for entry itself. Gede is run by the National Museums of Kenya, and you pay at the gate, USD 8 for foreign adults, with lower rates for Kenyan citizens, residents and children. The ticket covers the walled town, the small site museum near the entrance and the forest paths. Local guides wait at the gate and can be hired for an hour or so; agree the price before you start, because they add a great deal to a site with few signs.

What is sold online is mostly transport plus a guided visit. The usual formats are a half-day or full-day tour from Malindi that joins Gede with the old town and its Portuguese pillar, a tour that adds the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest across the road, and longer days that continue north to the eroded canyon at Marafa or the sand dunes at Mambrui. From Mombasa the same circuit becomes a very long day with three hours or more on the road each way. Check whether the entry fee and lunch are included, as many prices cover only the vehicle and driver.

If you are staying in Watamu or Malindi, the simplest plan is a tuk-tuk to the gate and a local guide. Book a tour only if you want the forest or Marafa on the same day.

A short history

Gede was one of more than a hundred Swahili settlements along the East African coast. A grave marker dated between 1041 and 1278 shows the site was occupied by the 11th or 12th century, and its people had adopted Islam by the 12th. The town grew rich on Indian Ocean trade and peaked in the 15th and 16th centuries, when the outer wall was built and the population may have reached 2,500. Decline followed Portuguese interference in trade, raids by outside groups and a falling water table, and Gede was empty by the mid-17th century. Sir John Kirk visited in 1884; James Kirkman excavated from 1948 to 1958. It is a Kenyan National Monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Getting there

Gede lies about 16 km south of Malindi and a few kilometres inland from Watamu, just off the main coast road to Mombasa. From Watamu a tuk-tuk takes about ten minutes; from Malindi a taxi or tuk-tuk takes around half an hour, and matatus heading south can drop you in Gede village, a walk of about ten minutes along a signed lane to the gate. Malindi has the nearest airport, with daily flights from Nairobi. From Mombasa, about 100 km to the south, allow two to three hours by road. There is free parking at the entrance for those who drive or hire a driver.

Rules and what to bring

Do not climb on the walls or tombs, many of which are fragile coral rag held together with lime. Locals regard Gede as a sacred place, so behave quietly near the mosques and graves. Wear closed shoes because of roots, insects and the occasional snake, and use insect repellent, as mosquitoes are common in the damp forest. Bring water; there are toilets near the entrance and simple shops in the village, but nothing inside the walls.

When to go

Gede is cooler than the beach because the forest shades almost every path, but humidity is high, so the first hours after opening are the most comfortable. Tour groups from Malindi and Watamu tend to arrive in mid-morning, after hotel breakfasts, and leave before lunch. Late afternoon is quiet and the best time to see monkeys and birds moving about.

The coast has two rainy seasons. The long rains fall from about April to June and the short rains around November; heavy downpours make the paths muddy and bring out mosquitoes, though the site stays open. The driest and most pleasant months are December to March and July to October, which also match the main holiday seasons on the coast. Allow about an hour and a half for the town with a guide, two hours if you add the museum and the canopy walkway, and half a day with transport from Malindi.