In Swahili, Bao means board and is used short for board game too. This includes "bao ya dama" (Draughts) and several mancala variants played in East Africa:
- Bao Kiarabu, a game related to Hawalis
- Bao Kigogo, a game of the Gogo, which also seems to be related to Hawalis
- Bao Kingulu, a two-row game played by the Ngulu
- Bao la Kete, the variant of Bao la Kiswahili played on Lamu
- Bao la Kimasai (two rows), a game of the Masai people
- Bao la Kimasai (four rows), another game of the Masai people
- Bao la Kiswahili, also called "bao ya keti", said to be the most difficult mancala game
- Bao la Kujifunza, a simple game for children and beginners
Two modern games are also called Bao:
- Bao 6x2, a modern Bao la Kiswahili variant played on just two rows
- Bao Arabica, a modern variant unrelated to any traditional "Bao"