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Malindi bay, Kenya

Stay in Malindi: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Malindi

Watch this spot We email you when Malindi bay is worth the trip.

Pillar of Vasco da Gama
Malindi, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Mgiganteus, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Malindi bay

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces E (104°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (284°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 1000 m out (1 in 99). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 26°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Malindi, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 27°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 27 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to MBA, changing at Frankfurt Main Airport (FRA). About 7 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → MBA · Skyscanner from about £745 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h 15 from the airport to Malindi bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in MalindiAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Malindi · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Malindi · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Malindi bay on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct06 ft7 smushy340kJ27°C
Mon 19Oct66 ft7 smushy299kJ27°C
Tue 20Oct286 ft7 smushy286kJ27°C
Wed 21Oct325 ft7 smushy198kJ27°C
Thu 22Oct384 ft7 smushy163kJ28°C
Fri 23Oct304 ft7 smushy115kJ28°C
Sat 24Oct344 ft6 smushy110kJ28°C
Sun 25Oct284 ft7 smushy151kJ28°C
Mon 26Oct343 ft6 smushy62kJ28°C
Tue 27Oct142 ft8 smushy49kJ27°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to MBA, changing at FRA, then 2h 15 by road. About 27h 30 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 34 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Malindi bay

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 6 kn (11 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Malindi bay

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 7 kn (14 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Malindi bay

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Malindi bay

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to MBA, changing at FRA, then 2h 15 by road. About 27h 30 door to door

The trip from Malindi, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,235–£2,400 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to MBA, estimated from distance and season, changing at FRA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£745–£1,545
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£70–£115
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£165–£280
Food7 days eating out£155–£290
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£65–£105
Total£1,235–£2,400

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Malindi

  • Zippo PizzaPizza · 0.6 km from the centre
  • C.A. beach 23Seafood · 1.8 km from the centre
  • Red Lion Bar & RestaurantBar and grill · in the centre
  • Johari's RestaurantAfrican · 0.5 km from the centre
  • Kienyeji Joint,MalindiBar and grill · 0.6 km from the centre
  • Surahi RestaurantIndian · 0.6 km from the centre

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.