Wasini Island

Wasini Island lies off the coast of southeast Kenya 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) in the Indian Ocean, 75 kilometres (47 mi) south of Mombasa, and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) opposite the harbour of the village of Shimoni.^[1] It is approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) across. The name "wasini mpunguti" came from the early inhabitants. The island has only footpaths of sharp old coral or sand. There are no cars, carts or bicycles. Cargo is transported by foot or by a wheelbarrow with a solid tyre. Transport is over the paths, or via the beaches, mainly consisting of coral and only passable with low tide, or by boat over the sea. Before 1963, in the British colonial time, there was an airstrip in the lagoon situated longitudinally south on the island; only small pieces of tarmac now remain.