Wallowing in Kenya's mud

Tourists and locals have been flocking in their hundreds to an island off the Kenyan coast for a mud bath which is said to have healing properties.

" I'm enjoying it... It's very soft, it's very relaxing, I'm glad I came "
Mud bather

The mud contains sulphur and phosphates which fight bacteria and tone the skin.

For free, visitors can cover themselves in natural volcanic mud at Sleepy Creek, on Chale Island, 27km off the coastal town of Mombasa.

Tourists from Nairobi, the United Kingdom and Germany enjoy the mud baths, as well as locals.

Pimples to arthritis

Some come to the island for the sole purpose of having a bath, while others take advantage of their visit to wallow in the mud.

"The mud is very good for all skin diseases such as pimples, allergies, rashes, rheumatism, acne and arthritis," says Patrick Mjenga, an animator at the Chale Paradise Island resort who regularly brings guests for a mud bath.

He says the properties of the mud were discovered by local elders who realised that it cured ailments and skin diseases.

The volcanic mud has been laboratory proven to be good for the skin, he says.

'Yucky smell'

"You apply the mud on your face, skin and hair. Twenty minutes later, you remove it with salt water because the salt relieves the itching caused by the sulphur."

The visitors are delighted with the experience.

"I'm enjoying it. I didn't think I would but it's very soft, it's very relaxing, I'm glad I came," a woman bather says.

"It's very nice. It's different - a bit yucky at the beginning, but you get used to it, mainly the smell. Very nice, I recommend it," a man says.