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Watamu & Malindi in September
Good month: September is in the middle of the recommended season (December – March, July – October). Against it: Kusi Wind: Rough Sea and Seaweed.
The season runs to the end of October, next month. Long Rains on the Coast usually starts in April, 7 months away.
3 days in Watamu & Malindi in September · from ₹26,881 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
The weather in September
What the season does to Watamu & Malindi this month.
Heads up
Kusi Wind: Rough Sea and Seaweed
The south-east kusi monsoon blows from about June to September: good for kitesurfing, but the sea is choppier, the reef water cloudier, and seaweed washes up on the beach. Dhow and glass-bottom-boat trips can be cancelled. The calmest, clearest sea is from about December to March, under the lighter kaskazi wind.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 3 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹26,881 for two
- Room a night₹4,070
- Food a day, each₹1,924
- Main sight entry, each₹1,920
Mid-range
₹63,046 for two
- Room a night₹11,840
- Food a day, each₹4,440
- Main sight entry, each₹1,920
Luxury
₹1,44,629 for two
- Room a night₹29,600
- Food a day, each₹10,360
- Main sight entry, each₹1,920
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Kenya yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Mombasa (MBA), 86 km away
Then: Transfer · 2h (Private car, per vehicle)
Flights from India: from 3 cities, one way from ₹30,000
Fly into Nairobi (NBO), 424 km away
Then: Flight · 3h 45m (Kenya Airways / Jambojet to Malindi + 30 min to Watamu)
Flights from India: from 9 cities, one way from ₹25,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹3,270
- At least 3 working days before you fly (you can apply up to 3 months ahead), apply for the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) at etakenya.go.ke: passport photo page, a recent photo, your return ticket and hotel or safari booking. The fee is US$30 plus bank and processing charges (about US$34 in all), paid by card. Save the approval; airlines check it at boarding.
- At least 10 days before leaving India, get a yellow fever vaccination at a government-authorised centre (Airport or Port Health Organisation, or a listed hospital) and keep the yellow International Certificate of Vaccination with your passport. India asks for it when you land back from Kenya; without it you can be quarantined for up to 6 days.
- At immigration in Nairobi or Mombasa, show your passport, the eTA approval and your return ticket. The eTA is for a single entry; you are admitted for up to 90 days.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive, with a blank page; eTA approval (printout or on your phone); Yellow fever vaccination certificate (the yellow card), needed by India on your return; Return or onward ticket; Hotel or safari bookings for the stay.
Kenya has no visa on arrival: without an approved eTA the airline will not board you. Kenya waived the eTA for most African nationals in 2025, not for Indians. Sources disagree on whether 90 days is the stay or the validity from approval, and on the processing charge: check the approval and the fee shown at etakenya.go.ke, and ignore look-alike sites.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Kenya in September
Also in season this month.
- Amboseli · great month
- Lake Naivasha · great month
- Lake Nakuru · great month
- Maasai Mara · great month
- Mombasa · great month
- Nairobi · great month
- Ol Pejeta Conservancy · great month
- Samburu National Reserve · great month
Nearby in The Coast:
Want this as a real plan?
Watamu & Malindi in September, day by day, priced for your group.