If you're looking to travel back in time, travel to Kenya’s charming island of Lamu, listed as a World Heritage Site in 2001, where arrival from the airport by historic dhow brings you to the Old Town reminiscent of centuries long gone. Lamu’s social and cultural life has remained much the same for centuries, and this is one of the reasons for its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Lamu is an excellent travel destination for other reasons as well, particularly if you enjoy cultural travel and historic architecture. Its three museums and historic fort are some of the highlights. Its architecture, which survived the era of modern development, is uniquely Swahili with narrow streets, mosques, storied buildings and carved wooden doors.

By visiting Lamu, you will have the chance to join Adventures in Preservation’s hands-on workshop Re-Discovering the Soul of Swahili Tradition: Conservation of Swahili-Style Stone House from November 14-27, 2010.

No cars allowed, so walk or ride a donkey to the workshop site where the program to help save Lamu’s endangered architectural heritage begins.