Mombasa in 4 days

A Portuguese fort begun in 1593 by the Italian architect Cairati, shaped like a human figure from above, which changed hands nine times after 1631.

Narrow lanes between Fort Jesus and the old dhow harbour, with Swahili, Omani and Indian houses, carved balconies and brass-studded teak doors.

Aluminium arches shaped like tusks, put up over the main avenue for Princess Elizabeth's visit in 1952, forming an M for Mombasa.

A wide white beach ten minutes north of the centre, sheltered by a coral reef; at low tide the lagoon drains to reveal rock pools.

A former cement-works quarry turned into a living ecosystem by René Haller from 1971, now home to giraffes, hippos, buffalo, crocodiles and oryx.

A protected lagoon and reef off Nyali and Bamburi since 1986; the coral has suffered bleaching, but parrotfish, moray eels, green turtles and rays remain.

Seventeen kilometres of white sand about thirty kilometres south of Mombasa, with a shallow reef-sheltered lagoon and steady winds for kitesurfing.

Wooded hills south-west of Mombasa, one of Kenya's largest coastal forests, home to the country's last sable antelopes and many elephants.