Passengers board an aircraft at Manda Airport in Lamu County.
For most people, the journey to or from an airport begins with the roar of engines and the buzz of traffic.
However, Manda Airport in Lamu County offers one of the most unusual travel experiences in the country.
Forget taxis, buses or airport shuttles: here, your transfer comes with sea spray and the gentle sway of a dhow.
Located on the northeastern coast of Kenya on Manda Island, Manda Airport, also known as Lamu Airport, is entirely surrounded by the Indian Ocean and has no road access.
Boats are the Lamu Main jetty waiting to pick passengers from the Manda Airport.
To get there, travellers must trade wheels for waves.
From the moment your plane touches down on the tiny airstrip, your journey becomes so much more than just transit.
A short walk leads to a wooden jetty, where boats and dhows are waiting to ferry passengers to historic Lamu Island or the mainland of Mokowe.
Tourists heading to board a plane within Lamu's Manda Airport runway on March 30, 2025.
The airport is about 1.8 kilometres across a narrow channel from the mainland and can only be reached by boat, dhow or air. Manda is one of over 60 islands that make up the Lamu archipelago.
Mr Ghalib Alwy, patron of the Lamu Tourism Association (LTA), says that the airport’s unusual location has fascinated visitors for many years. He explained that tourists, both local and international, find accessing Manda Airport to be a uniquely memorable experience.
“The airport itself is relatively small and may be considered outdated, but it provides access to a truly special destination,” he said.
Once they land, travellers must cross the channel by boat or dhow to reach Lamu Island. The same applies when departing unless they are using helicopters or other small aircraft, which are not restricted to the airport.
Travellers arrive by boat or dhow at the Manda Airport jetty from the Mokowe mainland terminus or Lamu Island. From there, it’s a short 200-metre walk to the terminal building for check-in and boarding.
‘People coming to or leaving this place should know that water transport is the primary mode here. Even if you travel by road to Mokowe, you will still need a boat to reach the airport,” said Mr Omar Ali, a tour guide based on Lamu Island.
Some hotels and resorts offer transport to and from Manda Airport, and private boat services are also available. According to Aisha Miraj, the Lamu Trade, Tourism and Culture Executive, three airlines currently operate daily flights to the airport.
Ms Miraj believes that travelling to and from Manda Airport is all part of the adventure and enhances the overall visitor experience. This is in addition to the culture of Lamu, which is rooted in its well-preserved Swahili heritage, traditional architecture and narrow alleyways, as well as its long-standing reliance on donkeys and dhows for transport.
However, she has called for more airlines to serve the route in order to improve travel options and support the local economy.
Tourists heading to board a plane within Lamu's Manda Airport runway on March 30, 2025.
“Having only three airlines serving Manda Airport is not enough. We have urged them to increase the number of flights and their frequency, especially as we approach the high tourist season,” she said.
Investors in the tourism sector are also urging the government and the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to consider expanding the airport and enabling 24-hour operations. Currently, Manda Airport only operates during daylight hours, until 6 pm.
Aircraft at the Manda Airport in Lamu County in this photo taken on 29th June 2021.
Abdallah Fadhil, Chairman of the Lamu Municipality Tourism Board, believes that upgrading the facility and extending its operating hours could pave the way for direct international flights from Europe, Asia, and the United States.
In line with the development of the Sh310 billion Lamu Port, which is a key component of the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor, plans are underway to construct a new international airport in Lamu by 2030. The new airport is expected to handle up to 1.2 million passengers per year.
According to KAA’s Regional Airport Manager for the Coast Region Abel Gogo, Manda Airport was originally established before Kenya’s independence between 1962 and 1963 as a landing strip for British colonial administrators.
In the early 1970s, it evolved into a more developed airstrip with Avion Air providing basic services to Lamu. Mr Gogo noted that KAA has recently undertaken upgrades, particularly to the taxiway and apron to accommodate increasing air traffic and larger aircraft.
“We are proud to have the unique Manda Airport serving the Lamu destination so well. Though the upgrading was delayed due to logistical challenges in ferrying materials to the island, I can confirm that the project is complete and everything is in place,” he said.
According to KAA, the expanded taxiway and apron can now accommodate Code C aircraft medium-sized planes typically used for domestic or short international flights allowing Manda Airport to meet rising demand.
