Shela, three kilometres south of Lamu town along the seafront, is a small whitewashed Swahili village set back from a long crescent beach. It is quieter and more polished than Lamu town — fewer donkeys, more renovated villas, several small hotels — and is where most visitors who want a beach base end up.
The walk from Lamu to Shela along the foreshore takes about 45 minutes at low tide and is a fine way to arrive. At high tide it is easier to take one of the small motor taxis that run between the two jetties. The Friday Mosque in Shela is grade II listed and the alleys behind it are some of the prettiest on the island.