Pate lies about 20km to the northeast of Lamu and is around twice the size.
The main town of Pate, which in truth is little more than a village, holds little to betray its historic significance, having once been a trading port of some significance with a particular renown for producing fine silks. Around 1800 however the port started to silt up, dhow traffic moved to Lamu and Pate fell into terminal decline.
Pate today has an incredibly authentic Swahili atmosphere, much further removed from the modern world than Lamu, where foreign visitors remain something of a novelty and the traditions of polite hospitality remain.
There is no accommodation listed, so best visited on daytrips from other islands.