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Mombasa Channel, Kenya

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

Also within 20 km of Mombasa

Watch this spot We email you when Mombasa Channel is worth the trip.

Downtown Mombasa
Mombasa, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Victor Ochieng, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Mombasa Channel

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

The spot faces SE (120°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (300°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 2.4 km out (1 in 244). 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 Mombasa, 4.5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot, 1 wind sports spot and 1 dive site.

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 25 h 50 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. 30 min from the airport to Mombasa Channel.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in MombasaAd

    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 Mombasa · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Mombasa · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Mombasa Channel on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Mombasa Channel does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct306 ft7 smushy274kJ27°C
Mon 19Oct276 ft7 smushy298kJ27°C
Tue 20Oct315 ft7 smushy274kJ27°C
Wed 21Oct365 ft7 smushy194kJ27°C
Thu 22Oct404 ft7 smushy162kJ28°C
Fri 23Oct374 ft7 smushy123kJ27°C
Sat 24Oct284 ft6 smushy106kJ27°C
Sun 25Oct125 ft7 smushy165kJ27°C
Mon 26Oct314 ft6 smushy79kJ26°C
Tue 27Oct323 ft6 smushy46kJ26°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 30 min by road. About 25h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Baobabs

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Baobabs

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Baobabs

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Baobabs

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

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Baobabs

    Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to MBA, changing at FRA, then 30 min by road. About 25h 50 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Mombasa each day: Baobabs, Mombasa Channel.

The trip from Mombasa, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,185–£2,320 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
Taxiairport and back, shared£20–£35
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£1,185–£2,320

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

Places to eat near Mombasa

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.