MapKenyaShelaKenya

Shela

Lamu Island, ~3 km south of Lamu town · Lamu West

also known as Lamu Kitesurfing, Kizingoni (Lamu Island), Shela Beach, Lamu Island, Kizingoni, The Cabanas / DPC Kenya

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlylow crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Jul, Aug, Sep, Dec

Months riders and schools name

How windy

12-25 knots

Character: mixed

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

27 °C in summerShela Beach is wide, quiet and sandy, with no coral

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds · busy January February July August

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Lamu Airport (LAU)

Transfer times under Getting there

On the clock

11:00

July to the end of September blows all day, early morning to sunset. Late November to the end of May picks up around 11:00 and lasts into the late afternoon.

The mark is the clock time the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The fade after it is not an end time, and not a promise of wind.

Shela has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Kizingonialso a name for this spot
Manda Islandno page yet
Manda Totono page yet
Kiunga National Marine Reserveno page yet
Watamu
Che Shaleno page yet

The spot

The beach and schools

Shela Beach runs wide and quiet down the side of Lamu Island, sand the whole way, no coral, and less traffic on the water than Watamu. The Majlis runs a kite school on the beach and DPC Kenya operates near Kizingoni at the southern end of the island, which is most of the structure Lamu has.

Wind seasons

The monsoons are the coast's usual pair: Kaskazi from the north or northeast around December to April, Kusi/Kuzi from the southeast around June to September or October. July to September blows from early morning to sunset; from late November to the end of May the wind usually fills in around 11:00 and runs into the late afternoon.

For beginners and beyond

A first lesson on Shela Beach is fine. Everything past the beach, the sand spits, the boat launches, the downwinders, wants a rider who can already go upwind and get themselves home, because there is no public rescue to fall back on.

Getting there

Getting here is a flight to Manda/Lamu Airport and then a boat, and once you are on the island the tide moves the sand and the riding area with it.

The wind

locals call it Kaskazi and Kusi/Kuzi

Direction

cross-on

Direction to shore

Cross-onshore at the Lamu kite safari spots. Shela Beach faces east/northeast, so the SE trade wind is generally side to cross-onshore and NE wind is more onshore to cross-onshore depending on the exact angle of the beach.

Dominant direction

Kaskazi runs N/NE to E from December to April; Kusi swings to S/SE from May to October; November and December are variable and light.

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For 75-85 kg: 9-12 m through the monsoon at 15-25 knots, 7-8 m on the strongest Kusi afternoons in July and August, 12-14 m for the light November-December window. Safari quivers run 7-12 m and a lighter rider is on 8-9 m through December. Indicative: sizes are given by weight rather than measured by month.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic

Average strength

The Majlis puts Shela at 12-20 knots for more than 70% of the year; the Lamu kite safari spots are given as 15-25 knots; monthly averages for Kizingoni come out at 7-14 knots at 10 m in months still marked high season.

Typical strength

12-25 knots when the monsoon is running. Monthly averages sit lower, 7-14 knots across the year, strongest June to August and lightest in November and December, so the top of the range is the seasonal peak rather than the norm.

Reliable in season, reportedly. The detail behind that is thin, and Lamu is remote, exploratory riding rather than a beach-school stop.

Kaskazi is given as December-April, or December-March depending where you read. Kusi/Kuzi is given as June-September or June-October. December-April is the primary season and June-September the less consistent, lighter one, although July-September is also the stretch described as blowing all day.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month85
Feb, riders' month87
Mar, riders' month49
Apr, riders' month48
May99
Jun99
Jul, riders' month100
Aug, riders' month99
Sep, riders' month92
Oct60
Nov4
Dec, riders' month29

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Jul, Aug, Sep, Dec.

13 ktJan29°
13 ktFeb29°
11 ktMar30°
11 ktApr30°
15 ktMay28°
16 ktJun27°
15 ktJul27°
14 ktAug26°
13 ktSep27°
12 ktOct28°
9 ktNov29°
10 ktDec29°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	85%	13.3 kt	ENE	27.8 °C	28.5 °C
Feb	87%	13.1 kt	E	27.8 °C	28.5 °C
Mar	49%	11.3 kt	E	28.5 °C	29.8 °C
Apr	48%	11.3 kt	SSW	27.9 °C	29.9 °C
May	99%	14.6 kt	S	27.1 °C	28.3 °C
Jun	99%	15.5 kt	S	26.3 °C	27.4 °C
Jul	100%	14.5 kt	S	25.4 °C	26.5 °C
Aug	99%	13.9 kt	S	25.3 °C	26.4 °C
Sep	92%	12.9 kt	S	25.9 °C	27.2 °C
Oct	60%	11.5 kt	SSE	26.7 °C	28.3 °C
Nov	4%	8.5 kt	SE	27 °C	29.1 °C
Dec	29%	10 kt	ENE	28 °C	29.2 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Chest-deep sand shallows at the Kizingoni base on the southern tip, good enough to stand and rest in while learning. At Shela the flat water sits close to shore and turns to chop further out. The sand moves with the tide, so where you can stand moves with it.

Tides

Flatter water at low tide, choppier at high. The sand spits and the standing shallows move with the tide, and the islands themselves change shape from year to year, so the riding area is never quite where it was last season. Kizingoni is reportedly not tide-dependent.

Temperature

27 °C summer · 27 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 26–30 °C

Wetsuit

No wetsuit needed. Boardshorts or a bikini is what riders wear on the Lamu and Kenya kite safaris.

Currents

Current is the main thing to watch on the water here. The channels between Lamu, Manda and the sand banks run hard on the tide, and nothing about them is measured or published; ask locally before riding away from the beach.

Conditions

Shela Beach is wide, quiet and sandy, with no coral. The Kizingoni base on southern Lamu is the same: sand, no coral, no rocks, nothing else moving on the water. Elsewhere on the island there is flat water near shore, chop farther out, small waves around the sand spits, and wider riding you reach by boat or downwinder.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

The Majlis teaches complete novices through advanced riders on Shela Beach. Everywhere else on Lamu is intermediate ground: the safari spots are wild and remote and want upwind ability. Take the beach lessons as beginner-possible, and treat independent, boat and downwinder riding as intermediate to advanced.

The scene

What riders come here for

remote/exploratory kitingflatwater lagoonswave ridingremote kitingflatwaterfreeridedownwinderskite safarisquiet beach lessons

Quiet, remote and preserved; secluded beaches, low water traffic and kite-safari exploration rather than a crowded kite hub.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Rescue

The Majlis runs the school on Shela Beach.
The Kizingoni centre hires out a spotter for launch and landing and can put a speedboat on the water.
Kite-safari trips carry a rescue boat for the whole trip and brief each spot before you ride it.

Away from those three, there is no public rescue on this coast at all: riding upwind and a working self-rescue are the cover.

Launch

Wide sandy Shela Beach plus nearby Lamu/Kizingoni sand-spit and island launches used by schools, resorts and kite-safari operators.

Hazards riders report 12 reported

Crowds and zones

local fishing boat traffic
remote — access by boat/small plane to Lamu
boat access and boat traffic around Lamu channels
Lamu county sits close to the Somali border and has carried travel advisories; it was off red-zone status by 2016, but check your government's advice before booking

Waves and currents

tide-influenced sand spits and changing islands
Tidal current through the channels between Lamu, Manda and the sand banks

Other

very limited rescue/self-sufficiency required
remote riding areas requiring self-sufficiency
limited public rescue on record outside school or safari operations
ocean conditions away from the sheltered beach
strong sun and remote medical/logistics context
No showers or toilets at the spot, and no cars on the island

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: no kite-specific permit, zone, fee or marine-reserve boundary is published for Shela Beach or the other Lamu launches, and no local body licenses the riding; the standing advice is to talk to a local or to your school before you go out somewhere new. Off the beach, dress modestly - Lamu is a conservative Muslim island and the old town is protected heritage. Stay out of the dhow and fishing-boat channel between Shela and Manda. There are no showers or toilets at the spot and no cars on the island: transport is donkeys and boats.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Confirm the exact launch with your school: Shela Beach, Kizingoni and the kite-safari sandbanks are three different operating areas.
Arrange school, resort or safari support before riding away from the main beach; do not count on public rescue.
Read the tide against the wind before any downwinder or island launch.
Pack for a remote island: spares, lines and sun cover, because nothing gets replaced here.
Sizes at 75-85 kg: 9-12 m through the season, 7-8 m for the strong July-August afternoons.
Low tide gives the flatter water; high tide is choppier. Plan the session around it, not the other way round.
Cover up once you leave the sand; the island is conservative and the beach clothes stop at the beach.

Getting there

Airport

Manda Airport / Lamu Airport (LAU)

Route

Fly to Manda Airport from Nairobi, Malindi or Mombasa, then take a boat across to Lamu/Shela. Driving is possible to Mokowe on the mainland, where cars are left before continuing by boat because island access is by water.

Transfer

10-15 boat transfer from Manda Airport to Lamu/Shela area; The Majlis reports about 5 minutes by boat from the hotel to Shela Beach.

Staying

Accommodation includes Shela/Lamu hotels, The Majlis on Manda Island, and DPC Kenya/The Cabanas on southern Lamu Island; no reliable broad price range is published.

No-wind days

Lamu Old Town UNESCO heritage walks · Shela village restaurants · traditional dhow sunset sailing · SUP · windsurfing · kayaking · wakeboarding

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Shela?

Kaskazi typically runs December to April and Kusi/Kuzi June to September or October, with December-April described as the primary season.

Is Shela suitable for beginners?

Yes, The Majlis Kite School teaches complete beginners on Shela Beach, though wider Lamu riding is described as remote and better suited to confident upwind riders.

What is the wind like?

Wind runs roughly 12-25 knots, with Kaskazi from the north/northeast and Kusi/Kuzi from the southeast.

Are there kite schools nearby?

The Majlis Kite School operates on Shela Beach, with DPC Kenya based near Kizingoni on southern Lamu Island.

How do you get to Shela?

Fly to Manda/Lamu Airport, then take a short boat transfer of about 10-15 minutes to reach the Lamu/Shela area.

Last updated: August 2026