Kenya 160297 01 Pate, Pate town

Hi, interesting photo. It's difficult to find info on contemporary Pate town. One report stated it's buildings are stone and 3 or 4 floors, similar to Lamu, but this photo contradicts that. Any comments?

Hi meade. I can't tell you for sure that my photo is placed correctly. I have placed it from memory of the way I got there. I never noted the actual location or name of the town – since I didn’t know that I was going there in the first place.

We got there by boat. We sailed from Lamu in the morning through the canal to the North-East of the town (just south of Kilimana. The trip by Dow took about 4 hours before we laid in to the coast on a beach (I also posted a picture of that place). We then trekked for about an hour over land before reaching the town. I calculated the distance to being about 4 km (I usually walk about 6 km/h at but we had been in Africa for a while and were walking with locals so I estimate a more leisurely pace). We had a Swahili meal on the roof from where I took the picture, before returning. I remember that I calculated that we would not be able to get back to Lamu before six. This was correct – we were only halfway back when darkness fell and we had to locate the canal in darkness. Having sailed for most of my life back in Denmark I was not thrilled by the fact that I was stuck on a leaking wooden boat at night on the Indian Ocean without a life west and warm clothes. The description of the tour had been vastly different from what it turned out to be – we were supposed to sail to a spot where we would scuba dive and catch fish, which we would then prepare for lunch on a beach nearby. After that we would return to Lamu before nightfall.

Thanks for the reply. I Went there thirty years ago. Landed in late afternoon, planning to walk to the town the next day but the mosquitoes were so bad caught a boat back to Lamu during the night, sleeping on coconuts! Apparently Pate town has existed for at least 800 years, was prosperous and a major rival to Lamu but the port silted up. They lost a battle with Lamu at Shela in 1830 and never recovered. Didn't know that at the time of my visit. Would love to go back.