I’m keen on island exploration, especially those that we do not often hear about, thus my decision to explore the islands on the Kenyan side of L. Victoria. I traveled with fellow Kenyan traveler and vlogger Rioba, who, by the way, did the Southern Africa trip I did, solo!

Mbita town is in Homa Bay County and is a good entry point to explore the islands. One can go by bus (a 10 hour journey) from Nairobi to Mbita of fly to Homa Bay then get to Mbita. We went by bus overnight and then flew back from the Kisumu airport.

We stayed at Lake Victoria safari Village which is right by the water with a great view to Rusinga and Mfangano islands’ hilly coastline. One can swim at their beach or relax at the beach beds; their sunset was spectacular. They also set up your meals right by their beach at your request.

 

From the hotel, one can organise trips to nearby islands aboard their boat. One notable one is Mbassa islands (also known as bird islands). These are islands inhabited by thousands of birds; mostly egrets and cormorants, as well as otters and monitor lizards.

I had never seen a monitor lizard before this trip so I was quite confused when I saw one. They are so huge and need to be promoted to the crocodile category. Lucky for me, they’re shy creatures so they crawled away whenever they saw us.

Other islands that can be accessed from here are Mfangano, Takawiri, Rusinga and bridge islands.
You can also visit the Tom Mboya maussoleum where this great man was laid to rest as well as Abasuba museum which conserves the culture and history of the Abasuba people.

 

 

Lake Victoria safari village was a lovely host. The grounds are clean and beautiful and their service was amazing. Make sure to try their whole tilapia when you visit. It was delicious!

Until next time, happy travels!

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