Affordable Vacation Malindi Package | 4 Days 3 Nights
Couple Packages
Vacations
African House Resort or similar
Fly In Beach Vacation on Kenya's North Coast
The Affordable Vacation Malindi Package adds the one night that changes everything, which is the third one.
On a 2 night coastal trip you arrive, you get one free day, and you leave. It works, and we sell plenty of them, but you spend most of it aware that it is nearly over. The third night removes that. You get a day inland and a day that belongs entirely to the beach, and by the last morning you have actually stopped checking your phone.
You fly from JKIA to Malindi in a little over an hour and stay at African House Resort, a small colonial villa off Casuarina Road with seven rooms, a pool in a tropical garden and a kitchen that cooks to order rather than to a buffet clock. One full day goes out on the road, north through the Swahili village of Mambrui with its dunes, then inland to Marafa Hell's Kitchen, a sandstone gorge that turns red and orange as the light drops.
The other full day has nothing in it at all, deliberately. Snorkel inside the marine park, walk out onto the sandbanks when the tide pulls back, take the twenty minute drive to Gede Ruins, or stay by the pool from breakfast until dark. Of the seven Malindi trips we run, this is the one people come back from saying they wish they had done first.
Details
Summary information about this package
African House Resort or similar
Malindi
Couples
Included
Flying
For Adults only (18+)
Half-board
Included
All year round
Costs
Kenyan Citizen
Ksh. 89300 per person sharing
Non-resident
$ 880 per person sharing
Transport
Options: Flying
Duration and Timing
No
More than >3 Days+
About Package
More information about this package
Return flights from Nairobi: JKIA to Malindi Airport, nonstop and a little over an hour, with the airport only ten minutes from the hotel gate at the Malindi end.
Three nights rather than two: The extra night gives you two full free days instead of one, so the inland excursion does not eat the only day you had. It is the single change that makes this feel like a holiday rather than a long weekend.
A seven room villa rather than a resort: African House Resort holds fewer than twenty guests when full, so the pool is usually quiet and the staff know your names by the second morning. Guests consistently rate it among the strongest stays in Malindi.
Rooms built for two: Each room is individually decorated and air conditioned, with a four poster bed, a large bathroom and a private veranda looking over the garden. Afternoon tea, coffee and pastries are laid out daily.
A full day inland, arranged for you: A private vehicle for the whole day covers Mambrui and Marafa Hell's Kitchen. No haggling at the gate and no fixed return time, so you can wait for the light at the gorge.
A kitchen that cooks to order: Breakfast and dinner are a la carte, with Italian and Swahili dishes, and much of the produce comes from the resort farm. Over three nights that matters more than it sounds, because nothing repeats.
Package Itinerary
The package itinerary is as follows
Affordable Vacation Malindi Package Itinerary, 4 Days 3 Nights, with Baecation Adventures from Nairobi
Day 1: Arrival, and Settling In Properly.
Morning: Your pickup is arranged for JKIA and the flight lifts off for the coast. A little over an hour later you land at Malindi Airport, where a driver is waiting. The drive to Casuarina Road takes about ten minutes.
Afternoon: Check in and take the first swim. The pool sits in the middle of the garden with loungers under the palms, and lunch can be ordered at the bar rather than sat down for properly. Unpack properly rather than living out of the bag, because you are here for a while.
Evening: Dinner at the resort, cooked to order and served whenever you are ready. The beach is 300 metres away and worth seeing once before the light goes.
Day 2: The Beach Day.
Morning: Breakfast is a la carte and unhurried. Ask at reception for the week's tide table, because these bays change completely between high and low water. A low tide falling mid morning gives you sandbanks you can walk out to and the best light of the day.
Afternoon: The coast, however you want it. Snorkel inside Malindi Marine National Park, take a glass bottom boat out over the reef, or walk into town for lunch at one of the Swahili kitchens on the Malindi Garsen road.
Evening: Dinner at the resort, or in town if you want to see what Malindi does after dark. Ask us and we will point you at the right place for the night you are having.
Day 3: Mambrui, the Dunes and Marafa.
Morning: An early breakfast, then your vehicle heads north out of town to Mambrui. It is an older village than Malindi, with a pillar tomb set with Chinese porcelain in the burial ground and sand dunes running down to the water.
Afternoon: On to Marafa Hell's Kitchen, about an hour inland. It is a sandstone gorge cut by centuries of rain into ridges and columns, and the local story is that a wealthy family who washed in milk were swallowed by the ground where they stood. Walk down into it and back up the far side, and go slowly, because the colours keep changing until the sun goes.
Evening: Back at the resort late, tired in the good way, for dinner on your own veranda if you would rather not sit in the restaurant.
Day 4: One Last Morning.
Morning: Sleep in properly. Breakfast runs late, the pool is at its best before the heat arrives, and checkout is not something to rush toward.
Afternoon: Your transfer collects you for the short run to Malindi Airport and the flight back to Nairobi, landing you home the same day.
Add Ons
Make More of the Days:
(Booked through our Malindi partners or arranged with a private vehicle and driver. Full pricing is on our add ons page).
Mambrui quad biking on the dunes, from KES 7,500 per person
Malindi Marine National Park boat trip or snorkelling
Gede Ruins and Kipepeo Butterfly Project half day
Arabuko Sokoke Forest guided walk
Sunset dhow for two
Add Something Extra:
(Arranged with the property before you arrive).
Private dinner for two, set on the beach or on your own veranda
Wine or champagne greeting, chilled and waiting in the room
Couples massage, taken by the pool or in your room
Personal photographer for a morning or an evening
Upgrade Your Stay:
(Prices are per couple for the full stay, on top of the package price).
Mid-range upgrade, Diamonds Malindi on half board, from KES 46,400.
Mid-range upgrade, Diamonds Malindi all-inclusive with meals and drinks, from KES 69,000.
Luxury upgrade, Lion in the Sun, from KES 70,000.
Luxury upgrade, Kilili Baharini Resort and Spa, from KES 95,000.
+ Inclusions
Return flights, Nairobi (JKIA) to Malindi
Return airport transfers, Malindi Airport to the resort and back
Three nights accommodation, half board, at African House Resort or similar
A full day private vehicle for the Mambrui and Marafa Hell's Kitchen excursion
All government taxes and levies
Dedicated Baecation support for the duration of your trip
- Exclusions
Transport to and from JKIA in Nairobi, available as an add on
Lunches, drinks and anything not listed as included
Quad biking at Mambrui, available as an add on
Marafa site entry fees and any local guide tips
Marine park fees, boat trips, snorkelling and diving
Private dinners and romantic extras, available as add ons
Personal spending, tips and gratuities
Checked baggage fees, if applicable
Travel insurance
Any costs arising from flight delays, cancellations or schedule changes
What To Carry
Closed walking shoes with grip, as the path down into Marafa is loose sandstone
Sunglasses and a buff or scarf for the dunes, where the sand moves
Light, breathable clothing and two swimsuits each, since three nights means things stay wet
Reef safe sunscreen and a wide brim hat
Reef shoes, as the walk out to the sandbanks crosses coral rubble in places
Plenty of water for the inland day, as there is nothing to buy at the gorge
A light cover up for town and for Mambrui, which is a conservative village
Insect repellent for the garden in the evenings
A valid ID or passport for domestic air travel
Any personal medication
Book This Package
Reach out:
For enquiries or bookings, write to [email protected]. We’ll revert within 20 minutes during business hours.