Red House Beach

Red House Beach is the smallest and least visited public beach in Kilifi. It is a short apron of sand tucked between rocks on the southern side of the creek mouth, at the exact point where Kilifi Creek finally meets the Indian Ocean. It takes its name from the red house standing above it, which is also how everybody gives directions to it.

You do not come here for sunbeds and beach bars. There are none, and there is no sign that there ever will be. You come because it is quiet, because the view straight out of the creek mouth is one of the best in Kilifi, and because on most days you will have the whole thing to yourself.

What it is like

The beach is genuinely small. At high tide there is not much sand left at all, and at low tide the coral shelf on either side is exposed and sharp. In between you get a clean crescent of sand with the open ocean on one side and the mouth of the creek on the other. Dhows and small fishing boats pass close by on their way in and out, which is most of the entertainment.

It faces roughly east, so this is a sunrise beach rather than a sunset one. Arrive early and you will watch the sun come up over the water while the boats head out. By the middle of the morning it is usually still empty.

Getting there

Red House sits on the Mnarani side, so from Kilifi town you cross the bridge and turn back toward the coast through Mnarani. The last stretch is a dirt track between residential plots, and it is far easier to arrive by tuk-tuk or boda boda than in a low car, especially after rain. There is no car park, no gate and no ticket office. Kilifi drivers know it simply as Red House.

📍 Open Red House Beach in Google Maps

What else is nearby

The Mnarani ruins, two mosques and a group of tombs on the clifftop overlooking the creek, are a few minutes away and worth an hour. Mnarani Beach Club and Kilifi Boatyard are both on this side of the water for lunch or a drink, and the creek itself is where the sailing, kayaking and sunset dhow trips happen.