The Mnarani Ruins sit on a bluff on the south side of Kilifi Creek, reached by a short climb up through baobab trees. The remains include two mosques, a series of pillar tombs, and the foundations of the surrounding houses. The Great Mosque is the most substantial structure, with much of its mihrab still standing, decorated with inscribed Quranic verses.
The pillar tombs are characteristic of the East African coast — tall, slender columns of coral rag mortared together, marking the graves of important men. One of the tombs at Mnarani is more than five metres tall, the tallest in Kenya. The views across the creek from the ruins are spectacular, and the site is rarely busy.