Mkwiro – Marine Management and Dive Guide Training

Community-based marine management is at the heart of Mkwiro. The Mkwiro Beach Management Unit is legally responsible for managing and enforcing the 741-acre Mkwiro Marine Co-Management Area. This responsibility also makes the marine area a focus of local organization and advocacy. When you choose Mkwiro as a destination, you get to know a place whose connection to the sea is shaped not only by its landscape, but also by community-based management.

Marine Management and Fisheries

The Mkwiro Beach Management Unit was established in 2007 as a local advocacy group for the fisheries sector under the State Department of Fisheries. Its history connects the interests of the fisheries sector with its current responsibility for the marine area. Together, the year it was founded and its legal remit offer insight into the Unit’s local role: it represents interests in the fisheries sector and is also responsible for managing and enforcing the Mkwiro Marine Co-Management Area.

As of June 2026, the Mkwiro community’s eco-restaurant and community hall, with views of Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park, had been completed. These two community facilities provide a connection to the marine area and the park, adding to the picture of local community life.

Guided Tours and Boat Trips

Community members from Wasini and Mkwiro were trained as dive guides to offer tours to visitors. These tours were intended to showcase the growing number of fish species following coral reef restoration, as well as the improved management of the locally managed marine area. The focus is therefore on reef restoration and marine area management. If you are planning such a tour, check in advance whether it is currently available.

Boat trips to Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park offer a different maritime experience. A collaboration between the local boat owners’ association and the Kenya Wildlife Service enables community members to offer these trips. The park is known for dolphin sightings. The two activities have different emphases: the guided tour focuses on fish species, reef restoration and marine management, while the boat trip takes you to the park. If you are planning to take a tour, check its current availability in advance.

The Wider Destination of Kwale

The wider destination of Kwale broadens the perspective to coastal and island areas. In Kwale County, a 17 km stretch of fine white-sand beach extends through Diani, Msambweni, Shirazi, Funzi, Shimoni, Wasini and Kisite Tidal Island. Kwale has 20 islands, four of which are inhabited: Wasini, Funzi, Mzizima and Chale. The beach stretch describes a stretch of coastline, while the island figures give an overview of the islands across the county.

Parks and protected areas in Kwale include Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve and Shimba Hills National Park Reserve. Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve is associated with snorkeling, diving, swimming with dolphins and sunbathing. This means the marine activities available in the wider destination go beyond the guided tours and boat trips described for Mkwiro.

Shimba Hills National Reserve is a coastal forest rich in flora and fauna. Sheldrick Falls and Mwaluganje Forest are located within the reserve. In Kwale, this adds a forest and landscape theme alongside the sea and coast. The Gazi Boardwalk in Kinondo and the Wasini Women Boardwalk in Vanga are also among the county’s tourist sites. The Kaya Kinondo eco-tourism project in Kinondo is a community-led ecotourism project.

If you are planning a guided tour or boat trip, check availability in advance.

Discover more destinations: Archers Post, Kilifi, Mara Simba, Kikowani, Lamu, Kibokoni, Shimoni, Ol Tukai.

View the wider travel guide: Kenya.