Sunset Cruise · 4:30pm – 7:00pm
The 'must-do', at golden hour.
Your private chariot, sailing you away from shore as the archipelago turns gold. Sip bubbles. Dip warm samosas. Watch the sun fall into the channel.
Home · Experience · Kilindini Dhow
Kilindini — the boat Kipungani built.
A wooden dhow, hand-carved on the beach by village elders in 2002. She still sails her home waters , Captain at the tiller, the wind gently in her sails.
001 · A Boat With a Beginning
Carved by hand, by the village next door.
The dhow was once the largest traditional boat on the Indian Ocean — moving spices and stories between East Africa, Arabia and Asia for centuries. Today, true wooden dhows are increasingly scarce.
Kilindini was lovingly hand-crafted in 2002 by the people of Kipungani — the village closest to The Cabanas, and the place she still calls home for most of the year. She was commissioned by Leslie Duckworth, the founder of Kizingoni Beach, as a deliberate act of support: to lift the village economy, and to preserve a craftsmanship that lived only in the hands of its elders.
She is the first and last dhow of her kind to be built by Kipungani. Today she remains the pride of the village.
it's about the journey,
not the destination.
— a quiet rule of the boat
002 · On Board
A whole boat, just for you.
Kilindini sails private. Every charter is your group only — Captain, crew, and a boat that opens itself to you for an afternoon, a long day, or a slow night under the stars.
- Long dining table with benches, set for the meal of the day
- Rooftop terrace — for relaxing, reading, or jumping into the sea
- Two shaded sitting areas, a front lounging deck, and cushions everywhere
- Fresh-water shower and basin · inside & outside toilet
- Traditional wooden exterior, teak interior, and an engine for windless days
From a romantic sunset cruise to a full day's island exploration — the day is shaped to you.
003 · Three Ways to Sail
Three exceptional experiences.
Each charter is private. Each one moves at the wind's pleasure. We pack the boat with what the day asks for — shade, ice, snorkels, lunch from our kitchen.
All-Day Cruise · 9:30am – 6:30pm
A whole day, at the wind's pleasure.
A fantastic fun day out — for a special occasion or simply to explore. Action or stillness, your choice. A simple, delicious local lunch and cold sodas, included.
Overnight Cruise ·
Stars, and phosphorescent water.
Sleep on deck under the rigging. Catch fish on local handlines as you sail — the way islanders have lived from these waters for centuries.
pole pole — the wind sets the pace.
004 · The Hands at the Tiller
The men who know these waters.
Most live within walking distance of the boat. They have known these tides since boyhood. The crew rotates so that someone is always rested, and someone is always reading the wind.
Captain Sheikh — your host
Twenty-plus years sailing the Lamu coast. Between 2019 and 2025, he sailed Kilindini from Lamu to Zanzibar more than twenty times. There is little he has not seen of these waters, and less he has not weathered.
Captain Badi — born to it
Born in Kipungani village, where Kilindini was built. He has sailed her since the beginning — fourteen years of tides, monsoons, and quiet afternoons under the canopy.
005 · Sail With Us
A wooden dhow, the ultimate escape.
Tell us the day you have in mind — sober or lavish, family or romantic, action or stillness — and we will pack the boat to match.
Plan Your Sail