A Rocha Eco-Lodge & Conservation Centre

It’s a quiet, friendly place near the beach, and very cosy. Meals are shared at one big table with other guests, volunteers, and workers. You can also join activities such as ringing birds. Tuk tuks or Ubers can take you anywhere.

Full board is included, which feels like a fair deal for the location and atmosphere. The food was delicious, the rooms lovely, and both the staff and volunteers were incredibly kind. It’s a little piece of paradise right by the beach. I’ll come back! :)

The rooms are simple and cute, and there seem to be about half a dozen. The food is lovely. This is a charming place where you share breakfast, optional lunch, and dinner with the other guests, conservation staff, and volunteers who welcome you in. A gorgeous creek for snorkelling is a five-minute boda-boda ride away, and the lodge lends equipment. Some of Watamu’s better-known beaches are about a ten-minute drive away. If light or sound bothers you when sleeping, bring what you need: the curtains let quite a bit of light in, and the waves can sound as if they’re right outside your room.

I brought a group of students to Watamu for an academic trip focused on Marine Science and Ecology in coastal Kenya. We stayed at A Rocha throughout and took part in several conservation and research projects that were active at the time. I can’t imagine a better place for hosting and supporting the trip. There was room on the accessible, welcoming grounds to rest, explore, and do research. The meals cooked there each day were delicious, and the staff and practicing researchers were kind, curious, and very welcoming. Being there felt like coming home. Betty deserves a personal thank you for helping plan the trip and coordinating with us each day. Colin is a passionate educator, and the students left each day with new learnings and questions. I highly recommend A Rocha and am deeply grateful for everything they helped us accomplish.