Malindi has been a Swahili settlement since the 14th century. Once rivaled only by Mombasa for dominance in this part of East Africa, Malindi has traditionally been a port city for foreign powers. In 1414, the town was visited by the fleet of the Chinese explorer Zheng He. Malindi's ruler sent a personal envoy with a giraffe as a present to China on that fleet.
The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama met Malindi authorities in 1498 to sign a trade agreement and hire a guide for the voyage to India, when he erected a coral pillar. The pillar stands to this day, though there have been calls by conservationists to take care of it, since soil erosion might make the pillar fall into the ocean.
Watamu suahili language means "sweet people." It is a tourist village on the coast "Turtle Bay", the Indian Ocean situated about 25 km south of Malindi in Kenya.
Watamu village essentially a Swahili (or Bajuni) fishing village that has grown into a small beach resort over the years.
The village has several small supermarkets, grocers and the usual Kenyan style Dukas where you can buy all the supplies you need. There are also a number of curio and souvenir dealers, a butchery, fishmongers, a bureau de change,a post office, two doctors' clinics, a western hairdresser and several roadside eateries.
