Kisumu

Kisumu


Kisumu is Kenya's third largest city, but it has an easy-going atmosphere. It sits on the shores of Lake Victoria and there are numerous places of interest. There is a large shopping mall in Kisumu.

The Kisumu Museum on Nairobi Road, is probably the best museum in Kenya. It was established in 1980 and it is within walking distance from the town center. The museum's consists of various pavilions.

One of these pavilions houses aquaria with fish from Lake Victoria, while another one has a terrarium with mambas, spitting cobras, puff adders and other venomous snakes from the region. More snakes can be seen at the snake pit outside. There is also a crocodile container.

Other pavilions have exhibitions of weaponry, jewellery, farm tools and other artefacts of the various tribes of Nyanza Province. There are also exhibits of stuffed mammals, birds and fish. One pavilion houses prehistoric TARA rock art, which was removed from its original location, as it was being damaged by graffiti.

A part of the museum is called Ber-gi-dala. It is a recreation of a traditional Luo homestead, which consists of mud and thatch houses. The husband's house is separate from the ones for each of his wives.

Kisumu's lively Kibuye Market is the largest in Kenya and well worth a visit. Another good market is Oile Market. In Kisumu you can also buy Kisii soapstone carvings. They are available from the stalls on the northern side of town. Not far from the town hall is a craft shop, where crafts made by local women are sold.

Kisumu's main road is Oginga Odinga Road. A tall town clock stands in the middle of the road. It was erected in 1938 by Mohamed, Alibhai, Hassan and Rahimtulla Kassim, whose father Kassim Lakha arrived in East Africa in 1871 and died in Kampala in 1910.

Kisumu Impala Sanctuary used to be called Connaught Parade during British rule. It is only a very small sanctuary and it is home to impalas, numerous reptiles and more than 100 bird species. You can also see some caged baboons and leopards there. The sanctuary is also home to hippos.

The occasional hippo can also be seen at the Hippo Point. The viewing area on Lake Victoria is an excellent place to watch unobstructed sunsets over Lake Victoria. Hippo Point is not far from the village of Dunga, several kilometres southwest of Kisumu. The village also has a fishing port and a camping site.

Dunga Beach and Wetland boasts a diverse papyrus wetland ecosystem. It is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna.

Kit Mikayi is a large rock, topped with three other rocks. It can be found off Kisumu Bondo Road towards the town of Bondo. According to legend, Mikayi ('the first wife') went up the hill to the stones when her husband took a second wife. She has been weeping ever since and because of this the rock is known as the 'weeping rock'. It is a pilgrimage site for members of the Legio Maria sect, who come to pray and fast there for several weeks at a time.

Ndere Island is a small island in the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria. In 1986, the island was gazetted as the Ndere Island National Reserve and has since been uninhabited. The island can be visitied though and it offers beautiful views over Lake Victoria.

There is also a bird sanctuary in Kisumu. The equator is only 24 km (15 mi) north of town.

There are numerous hotels and restaurants in Kisumu. Many buses and matatus (minibuses) connect Kisumu with other places in Kenya, including Nairobi. The large bus station is just north of Kisumu's market. Fast minibuses to Kakamega and Kitale leave from right by Jomo Kenyatta Highway, instead of the main area of the bus station.

Kisumu is on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria, 300 km (190 mi) northwest of Nairobi. The metropolitan region comprises Kisumu, its suburbs and the satellite towns of Maseno, Kondele and Ahero.


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Miscellaneous Information

Latitude:    0°08' S
Longitude: 34°77' E
Elevation:  1,131 m (3,711 ft)

Population: 600,000
Cost-of-living compared to Washington D.C.: n/a

Hours from UTC: 3
Daylight savings time: n/a

City phone code: n/a
Country phone code: 254

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