Just got back to Nairobi from a 7-day trip to Mombasa/Lamu. I travelled by train Nairobi to Mombasa, and then by bus up to Lamu.
The bus journey took around 7 hours each way with Tahmeed coaches (they have around 3 departures each day) and cost 600KSh. (Tahmeed office in Mombasa is a small tin building at the Total petrol station). There were police checkpoints along the way, and an armed escort between Witu and Lamu, but we had no trouble en route either from the police or any others. The driver distributed newspapers at the checkpoints (+/- chai?) and we were waved through no problem. The road is a little rough the further you travel from Malindi, but a bit of dust and a few bumps is all part of travelling in Kenya, and the rougher the road, the wilder and more interesting the scenery. Usually the most legroom is directly behind the driver, if you get chance to choose your seat.
I didn’t have any problems at the jetty - the slow ferry (approx 20 mins) is 50KSh, or you can get a speed boat (10 mins) for 100KSh.
Lamu - beautiful place, and compared to Mombasa/Malindi it feels very safe, even as a young lone female traveller. Even walking around at night was fine. Just beware of inflated prices for dhow trips/home-cooked meals offered on the seafront - ask around to compare prices and take things with a pinch of salt. The dhow captains have now formed an organisation to try to prevent rip-off merchants, so ask to see their card before making plans/handing over any money - if they’re genuine then this will be no problem, and most are pretty proud of the organisation.
One final thing I would recommend is to travel light. I took a small rucksack, which meant I could keep everything close to hand, and could jump straight from the bus onto a boat without waiting for luggage and getting hassled by touts. The weather on the coast is so warm that it’s easy to wash and dry clothes within a couple of hours. Snorkelling gear can be rented in Lamu for around 200KSh per day, and locally bought kikois (300-700KSh) double quite nicely as towels/wraps for the beach, so you can easily get by with just 2-3 shirts and 1-2 shorts + swimsuit.
NUTTIGE INFO VOND IK
.