Kilifi is the capital of the county of the same name, but it was never really considered a tourist destination, at least until a few years ago.
Since the post-independence years, with its splendid inlet and white strip of Bofa Beach, it has become a 'buen retiro' for residents of Nairobi, Englishmen who moved to the coast and even a few Italians who did not like the holiday tourism and worldliness of Malindi and later Watamu.
Now, however, the town is expanding, thanks to sustainable investments that have not (yet and hopefully will not) disfigure the environment.
Both on the creek and on the beach, boutique hotels and meeting places have sprung up that appeal particularly to young people and sports enthusiasts, and there are activities such as kitesurfing, jet-skiing and deep-sea fishing that captivate modern tourists. Nightclubs such as Distant Relatives and Salty's, and the Food Movement within the Kilifi Plantation, are popular with an international clientele seeking diverse and inclusive entertainment.
However, smart, nature-based establishments such as the Italian White Star, with its houseboat and small restaurant offering pizza and fresh oysters, among other specialities, are also oases of tranquillity and collective pleasure.
This, together with historic resorts such as Mnarani Club, Baobab and Kilifi Beach, have enhanced the reputation of what is increasingly the credible alternative to the two best known destinations in Kilifi County. 
Kilifi is situated halfway between Mombasa and Malindi, at the mouth of a picturesque inlet that has made it a safe haven and stopover for merchant ships for centuries. During the years of British colonialism, a yacht club, the first on the Kenyan coast, also sprang up here.
Today, following the federalism enshrined in the new Kenyan Constitution, reformed in 2010, it has become the capital of the county of the same name, which extends from the town of Mtwapa (almost attached to Mombasa) to beyond Mambrui in the north.
The township actually has fewer inhabitants and is less extensive than Malindi, but it is strategically important.
Until 1991, to cross the Kilifi 'creek' one had to use a ferry, the Kilifi ferry, then the Japanese built an elevated bridge. The village of Kilifi is developed in the part towards Malindi, up to the beautiful Bofa Beach, while the district of Mnarani is developed to the south, and includes the ruins of the town, which date back to around the 15th century. Of interest is the ancient mosque, one of the first in Kenya, which dominates the village overlooking the sea, surrounded by imposing baobab trees. . Important for the local population, for more than twenty years, was the influence of Kenya Cashnuts, a leading producer and distributor of 'peanuts' and the Kilifi Plantation, a huge farm with fruit trees and animals. Kilifi today serves milk to much of the coast.
In addition to the places already mentioned, the small beaches overhanging the sea and the sudden bays, such as that of Takaungu (an old village infamous for the slave trade), a few kilometres to the south, and the islets at the bottom of the creek, are worth discovering. 
The hinterland is also particularly impressive, especially towards Kaloleni, where among the hills, forests and waterways, many of the historical traditions of the Mijikenda ethnic group still coexist, with the famous 'kaya', prayer caves that are a Unesco World Heritage Site.