Abduljabbar Ali You are super excited you are in Mombasa, you started your day trip exploring Fort Jesus, what should you do next after that?
In this article, I will share several things you can do after you are done exploring Fort Jesus and you are still in Old Town Mombasa.
There are so many things you can learn in Mombasa Old Town apart from what you captured while you were in the fort.
Many people make the mistake of leaving immediately and rushing to another destination without fully exploring what Mombasa Old Town has to offer.
You should be a traveller and not a tourist, which means you should take your time to immerse yourself deep into this destination and learn everything you have to about it before leaving for another place.
This is what to do in Mombasa Old Town after Fort Jesus;
1. Take your time to walk through the streets.
If you are done with Fort Jesus, you need to take your time to check out the streets of Old Town in Mombasa.
These are some of the most authentic and vibrant streets that you will ever see in Mombasa that still hold the historical and cultural heritage of Mombasa.
Most of the buildings that were built from 13-15th century are still standing with their original architectural design.
The designs of these buildings how they are painted and the wooden balconies make the streets so unique and beautiful.
It’s a sight that people all over the world travel to Mombasa, Kenya to see and capture some amazing memories.
If you have never been to Mombasa before I would recommend you find a guide who is going to take you around the streets for you to learn everything that you are going to come across as you are exploring the streets.
Most of these guides you will meet are people who have been around Mombasa’s old town for ages and they have much knowledge about every single piece of amusement you will come across.
The other reason why you should also get a guide when you want to explore the streets of Old Town is for safety reasons.
Deep inside the streets of the old town tend to be sketchy and dodgy even the locals are cautious when going too deep in the streets.
Read also; How To Stay Safe When Travelling In Mombasa (Kenya)
But if you are a group of people, it’s going to be easier and safer to explore the streets of the old town without any issues.
2. Try the street foods along the streets of Mombasa Old Town.
Don’t leave Mombasa’s old town before trying the street foods.
Trust me, when I was in Mombasa back in 2023 I shot a street food tour video, do you know where I started the video? I started trying the street foods just around the old town.
This means Mombasa old town also has some amazing street food spots you can find before you reach the main road (Digo Road around the post office).
You can’t get enough of the amazing snacks you will find along this street because there are so many of them.
You won’t know which snack you should start with.
Start with the street tacos outside Fort Jesus, they cost only Ksh 100 ($0.7) for a piece.
You can go ahead and eat viazi karai, bajia, mahamri, samosas, mkate wa sinia (superghet bread), kashata, kaimati, labania, sugarcane juice and so many that I can’t mention.
All these are street foods you can find just around Mombasa old town before you leave.
After you have tried the street foods, don’t forget to try the Kahawa (coffee) it’s very different from the one you will end up trying at Starbucks.
There are two types of Kahawa you can try in Mombasa Old Town; kahawa tamu and kawaha chungu.
Kahawa tamu is a sweet coffee that has a pinkish colour and kahawa chungu has the opposite taste of sweet coffee it’s blackish.
At the same spots, you will find people drinking coffee with groundnuts, mitai, viazi karai, somosa and mahamri. You will get to interact with the locals and learn more about their culture and historical heritage.
You will meet people who will tell you about how Mombasa old town has transformed. In most cases, you will meet old people around these street coffee spots I am talking about.
Read also; 17 Top Things To Do In Mombasa
3. Visit the artefacts shops along the streets.
In the streets of Mombasa Old Town, you will come across different artefact shops that sell coastal artefacts, necklaces and bracelets.
These are some of the things you can check out and if you are interested buy them to keep them as souvenirs.
You will also come across pots that are engraved with coastal symbols and Arabic letters.
If you are lucky enough you can get the Arabic swords that were used during the time of Swahili civilization in the old town.
You can also learn more about the culture of the people of Mombasa through the things you will come across through these local shops in the old town of Mombasa.
Additionally, you can also decide to do some shopping for anything you would like to carry back to your home country as a present to the people you care about.
When you do this you will be supporting the locals and that will improve their living standards thus making Mombasa old town the best place to visit always.
4. Don’t forget to visit the butterfly house.
If you are done exploring Fort Jesus this is another place you shouldn’t forget to visit.
The butterfly house is just next to Fort Jesus. When you are coming from the top side of Treasury Square a little bit in front of the Bank of India (BOI) on your right side you will see a route that takes you to the butterfly house.
The entrance fee differs; if you are a non-citizen you will pay ksh 500, and the East African resident will pay ksh 200 per person.
Butterfly House as the name suggests you will learn about the entire butterfly ecosystem and anything related to how they come to life.
It’s a scenic view and a way of connecting with nature and understanding how things come to be.
You will also learn different types of butterflies and incredible facts about them.
It’s worth a visit before you leave Mombasa old town.
Read also; Is It Safe To Walk In Mombasa, Kenya?
5. Hang out at the Treasury Square Garden.
This is another underrated amazing spot in Mombasa old town that so many people forget about.
Treasury Square is located around the big roundabout that connects to the road that takes you down to Fort Jesus.
When you are heading down to where Fort Jesus is located, just look on your right hand you will see so many trees and big administration buildings that are painted with a Kenyan flag.
There is a big garden where you can hang out to escape from the heat of the coast.
At the same time, you can get to check out the administration building with original architectural design.
DO NOT TAKE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS of these buildings because are still active Kenyan administration buildings. In Kenya, they don’t allow locals or tourists to take photos or videos of government buildings.
The Treasury Square garden is incredible. As you stroll around you will come across the Allidina Visram statue who was an Indian merchant and philanthropist who contributed to the formation of the Mombasa India association.
Lastly…
These are the unique things you can do in Mombasa old town after you are done exploring Fort Jesus.
Mombasa’s old town is an incredible place where you can get to interact with the Swahili people and understand their culture.
So, when you visit Mombasa old town don’t just assume you are done when you explore Fort Jesus.
Walk around the streets and slowly take the Makadara Road, as you keep moving forward heading to Digo Road around the post office, you will come across a highly-rated restaurant in Mombasa town called Barka.
Get inside the hotel too and try the local cuisine to feel the way locals feel about their foods and historical heritage.
Read also; How To Stay Safe When Travelling In Mombasa (Kenya)
Related reads;
