15 Top Kisumu Safari Attractions
15 Top Kisumu Safari Attractions – Known for its spectacular photos of the sunrise and sunset, the lakeside city of Kisumu calls for more than a couple of days during your visitation. From its humid temperate climate to its laid-back city life where its community is well reputed for its warm hospitality, Kisumu offers more than just an urban city.
Having accepted some modernization over the years, Kisumu still maintains that the old town feels charmed especially on the outskirts and the culture is still very much ingrained. If you are looking beyond its intriguing city life, then you won’t be disappointed by the available options.
In Kisumu, tourists can access a variety of activities that are quite engaging. One can avail a classic bike ride offered by local canoe boat operators. You can also indulge in cycling around the city when you have time. Kisumu also offers walking tours along with different scenic sections. Moreover, for fitness enthusiasts, it is a smart way to exercise their legs. Travelers can even hire other modes of transport such as bodaboda bikes or tuk-tuk.
For all the nocturnal animals who wish to stomp the dance floor, there are several clubs and lounges in Kisumu city, which can be visited. The nightlife is very alluring that will allow the tourists and natives to acquire an excellent feel of the Luo Benga and Rhumba music alike. Live bands also perform at some of the locations creating a gripping feel of the lakeside city.
Apart from being an important political city, it is one of the premier industrial and commercial centers in Kenya. The city is currently undergoing an urban rejuvenation of the downtown and lower town which includes modernizing the lakefront, decongesting main streets, and making the streets pedestrian-friendly.
A beautiful city perched on the shores of the world’s second biggest water body, Lake Victoria, Kisumu remains poorly discovered by tourists as a destination.
Kisumu, an old friend of nature rich in culture and urban looks, has, over the years, is now slowly gaining popularity as a tourist destination among people from different parts of the world who come to enjoy its captivating tranquility and numerous other attractions.
There is nowhere on earth quite like Kisumu for tourists; the city has all the elements of uniqueness that will stick in your memory forever. Kisumu’s appeal cuts across guests who desire to see historical sites or enjoy what nature offers and tourists who go for cultural tours or the luxury safari to Maasai Mara or the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
For those who would like to do a combination of Kenya’s wildlife safari with Gorilla Tracking in Uganda, air travel is possible for your onward travel to Uganda from Maasai Mara to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport via Kisumu on a daily basis through Air Kenya and Safarilink’s new flight from the Wilson Airport, Nairobi to Entebbe via Kisumu. Connections to Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo can be done by road through the Busia and Malaba border points between Kenya and Uganda or Isebania/Sirare for the Tanzania safari.
Kisumu is beautiful and you will get plenty of breath-taking shots especially if you know where to look. Spectacular photos of the sunset in Kisumu may not be enough, so you need to keep your eyes open for other reasons to visit Kisumu.
Despite the fact that Kisumu has graced some modernity, the city still maintains the old town feel especially on its outskirts and the fusion of the Asian and Luo culture is still very ingrained.
1. The Hippo Point
This is a six-hundred-acre open viewing land on Lake Victoria. It is well known as a viewing area for its clear spectacular sunsets over the lake as alongside the occasional hippos.
While at Hippo point, you can enjoy a boat ride as you view the birds and hippos in their natural habitats.
Hippo point is quite popular during the holidays and weekends, when foe, friends, and merry-makers from other parts of the country gather for the sunset or simply for the local delicacies. It is the ideal getaway in the outskirts of Kisumu.
2. Ndere Island National Park
Located in the heart of Lake Victoria, the island is a haven for dozens of bird species. It is covered mainly by grassland and offers breathtaking scenic views of Rusinga, Mfangano, Oyamo, and Mageta Islands when the weather is clear. It’s also to catch a glimpse of Kampala, Uganda to the southwest.
The lakeshore supports hundreds of animals, including Nile Crocodiles, Monitor Lizards, snakes, hippos, impalas, baboons, waterbucks, zebras, warthogs, and the rare Sitatunga antelopes.
You can also view over 180 bird species here, including the Pied Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Kite, Hammerkop, Grey Headed Kingfishers, African Fish Eagles, Black Headed Gonolek, Little Egret and the unmistakable African Fish Eagle.
3. Dunga Fishing Village
The famous village is an exclusive eco-cultural attraction due to its culturally rich biodiversity and diverse papyrus wetland ecosystem and community.
Dunga Beach and Wetlands aim to empower the local community and improve the security of this region through bird watching and other tourism-related income-generating activities.
You can undertake many activities from boating, birdwatching, kayaking, village tours and even fishing.
Dunga offers some of the best fish-eating experiences around Kisumu as you enjoy the cool lake breeze.
4. Kisumu Impala Sanctuary
Situated on the shore of Lake Victoria, the Kisumu Impala Sanctuary is a beautiful, relaxing place to experience the city’s natural tranquility. The sanctuary is home to amazing birds including some of the Lake Victoria biome restricted bird species, the rare Sitatunga, impalas, Big Cats, buffalos, several primate species, and some free roaming zebras and impalas. Impala Park is ideal for nature walks, birdwatching, boat rides or you can just relax and enjoy yourself while surrounded by the beautiful nature.
5. Luxury Boat Cruise on Lake Victoria
Exploring the lake by a boat or canoe early in the morning or late in the evening is the best way to experience its beauty. Lake Victoria is among the few lakes in Kenya that doesn’t attract any entry fees!
With Spot-necked Otters, bold Monitor Lizards, the energetic pods of hippos and over 200 bird species along its shore the lake offers some of the best outdoor alternatives while you are in Kisumu.
The best way to explore is to enjoy Lake Victoria on a motorized boat. Your itinerary can be designed in a manner that you could explore the lakeshore or hip-hop on various islands while trying your luck with fishing. The calmness of the lake is best at dawn time till mid-morning before the strong winds pick up for the rest of the day.
6. Kit Mikaye
This is an integral Luo cultural shrine with three gigantic boulders piled on top of each other. The site is located about 1 km off the Kisumu-Bondo road and about 29 km west of Kisumu city.
It is the tallest rock structure in the Kangeso locality standing at about 80 feet while resembling a lady with a load on her back.
The cultural shrine has lots of myths and stories surrounding it, and you will be amazed to hear these folklores and even get a chance to visit the caves. They are often used as worship sites of the Legio Maria and other denominations.
7. Lake Victoria Fishing Expeditions
- Lake Victoria makes an ideal destination for novice and experienced kayakers and anglers. Perhaps you would fancy a weekend or a long expedition in the wilderness of Mfangano Island and spend time sport-fishing for Nile Perch.
You can also accompany the fishermen for the authentic sight of night-fishing off the easily accessible Rusinga Island. The fishing expedition is best under the darkness among thousands of paraffin lanterns creating a mythical floating city in the night as fisher cast and pull their nets of Omena fish attracted to Lake Victoria’s flies.
8. Ruma National Park
Away from the city, Western Kenya’s only terrestrial park, Ruma hosts plenty of animals including Roan Antelope, Black and White Rhinos, Rothschild’s Giraffe, Cape Buffalo, Leopard and Oribi, Vervet Monkeys, Burchell’s Zebra, Topi, Impalas and over 300 bird species amongst others.
Ruma park is tucked away in a valley with the rolling savannahs on the base of the towering Kanyamwa escarpment and the magnificent Gwassi Hills.
9. Kakamega Forest
Not far from the town is the Kakamega Forest, a jungle-like centre of significant ecological interest since it is a relic of the equatorial rainforest which once spread from West Africa to the East Africa’s coast. Though it lies somewhat off the main tourist trail, Kakamega is becoming increasingly a popular destination for butterfly lovers, birdwatchers and other specialists looking for species of special interests, normally associated with central and west Africa.
10. Bungoma – The Heart of the Bukusu
Characterized by several Luhya sub clans, Bungoma is the one of the best counties of Kenya to explore if you get a chance to visit Kenya. For those who are keen to learn about culture, Bungoma is the epicenter of cultural tourism. The county is full of traditions and customs that are strongly attached to the host communities. Bungoma is home to a number of interesting points that can be visited within a day or two. The attraction sites come along with very informative folklore and myths that are narrated by the resident community guides.
11. Alego, Nyang’oma Kogelo
Kogelo, also known as Nyang’oma Kogelo is a rural village in Alego – Siaya District, Nyanza Province, Kenya. It is located near the equator, 40 kilometers West-Northwest of Kisumu City, and the provincial capital. After a visit to the dispensary proceed to the Kogelo market, Kogelo primary school, and Senator Barack Obama Secondary School. You will then enter Sarah Obama’s home behind the secondary school if permitted.
Kogelo is the ancestral home of Barack Obama, Senior the father of the former and 44th United States President, Barack Obama. Barack Obama Senior and also the Barrack Obama’s paternal grandmother Sarah Anyango Obama are buried in the village. Some of their family members still live in the home.
12. Kang’o Ka Jaramogi
Jaramogi Mausoleum is an iconic place located deep in Bondo sub-county, Siaya County, in Kang’o Ka Jaramogi. From the outside, one can easily dismiss it as another ordinary building. However, in this building – there is more than meets the eye. The Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum is a place that has extremely valuable information that tells the rich history of Kenya.
Jaramogi was Kenya’s first Vice-President, a man whose name crops up whenever Kenya’s political story unfolds. The site is not only home to the rich legacy of the independence hero, but could also be described as a tribute to the Luo people beyond Kenya’s border.
An excursion to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum for many years has remained so dear to the opposition chief Raila Odinga that he personally takes all his important visitors on a guided tour of the place.
A tour of the mausoleum lasts more than one hour as your guide explains in detail the pictures that captured key moments in Kenya’s history. The museum and monument serve as a cultural center, a historical and national monument of great importance. Here one will see stuffed animals and other Luo cultural equipment and learn about famous traditional medicine men of the Luo community have ever had.
13. Kendu Bay and Lake Simbi Nyaima
Kendu Bay boasts two other diverting attractions. The first is a handsome and surprisingly large Tawakal Mosque, set along the road between the town center and the jetty. The other, about 2 km south of town, is Simbi Nyaima, a green crater lake whose shallows occasionally support large numbers of Lesser Flamingos. Simbi Nyaima means “Village That Sunk”, an allusion to the Luo legend that the lake was created when a fearful storm engulfed what was formerly a village, to punish its inhabitants for refusing to help an old woman who had arrived there looking for food and shelter.
14. Kericho Tea Tour
Spend an invigorating day roaming the rolling hills of bright green teaestates around Kericho. Meet the pickers, watch the end-to-end process at a local factory and relax in the tranquil gardens of a local arboretum. From Kisumu, it’s a 90 minute drive through hills and villages up to Kericho – a small, friendly hill town, set amongst acres and acres of lime-green tea fields. Start your tour with a guided stroll around the tea plantations
learning about this age-old industry, and getting a glance into the community lives of the workers. If you’re lucky, you can meet a few and watch them picking (sometimes as much as their body weight in one day!) Lunch is spent in the tranquil setting of the colonial-style Tea Hotel overlooking their colourful gardens and with lovely views of the surrounding plantations – before moving on to a local factory to learn more about the end-to-end process from picking to packaging and export.
After the factory, there’s time for a drive around the plantations and a stop-off at a pretty, peaceful arboretum for a soda before making your way back to Kisumu.
15. Saiwa Swamp National Park
About 30km northeast of Kitale, town lies the park that is half submerged permanently in the swamp. Saiwa is Kenya’s smallest, at only 300 hectares and was established in 1974 to protect the semi-aquatic Sitatunga antelope, notable for its wide-splayed hooves, which allow it to walk on the soggy surface of the swamp. Though it is not teeming with big game like other parks and conservancies in Kenya, Saiwa is also home to several other forest and swamp dwellers. These include the De Brazza’s monkey, which like the sitatunga has a very limited distribution in East Africa, along with the African Clawless Otter, Giant Forest Squirrel, Black-and-white Colobus, Bushbuck and Grey Duiker.
Explore Kisumu City Luxury Safari Ideas...
Encounter some of the most impressive and also elusive wildlife in Africa, from big bold cats to big five, to the shy ones that aren’t spotted easily. What you shouldn’t miss is the so impressive zebra crossing!
Beautiful Beaches: the Kenyan coastline sits right on the Indian Ocean and has beautiful turquoise waters and white sandy beaches that stretch for hundreds of kilometers.
Concession Conservation: Kenya is leading the way in terms of private concessions, which focus on the needs of the communities and the wildlife through the promotion of ecotourism.
Daphne Sheldrick Trust: This is home to a large number of orphaned elephants and this is a great place to visit if you have any spare time in Nairobi.
The Iconic Masai Interaction with Africa’s most famous tribe who dominate the tribal landscape in southern Kenya.
The Great Migration: Around the months of July to September, come and watch as the Mara River explodes into life as the herds make their way north from Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. Exclusive Wilderness Staying on the expansive private game sanctuaries/reserves enjoying a variety of different activities that range from conservation to development through ecotourism.
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