At the beginning of January Pauline, my wife, and I had some spare time, so we decided to take a Kenya safari to a place we had always wanted to visit but had never found the time. A small Island on Lake Victoria called Mfangano Island.
We landed in Kisumu International Airport at 11 am, and the hire car awaited us. The first part of our drive would be a two-and-a-half-hour trip around Lake Victoria. Whenever I fly over the lake or see it up close, I am amazed at its size. Lake Victoria is either the second or third largest lake in the world depending on your point of view. Some people reckon the Caspian Sea is a lake, which technically it is, but as it is called a sea, and I am biased, I like to think Lake Victoria is the second in line after Lake Superior. However, that aside, Lake Victoria is immense. The local Lou people who helped John Hanning Speke find Nam Lolwe, and renamed it Lake Victoria, described it as “The water that goes on forever,” I tend to agree.
Lake Victoria sits on a plateau between the eastern and western valley branches of the East African Rift Valley System, its shores are in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Mfangano Island rises 200m from the lake, very close to the Kenyan shoreline and the Ugandan border. The island is 65 square kilometres and rises to 1694m at Mount Kwitutu, its highest point.
Mfangano has the largest population of Olusuba or Suba people in Kenya, although the language is becoming rarer as the predominant tribe on the island speaks Lou. Olusuba is becoming less well known on the island in part because of intermarriages between Suba men and Lou women from the mainland, as it is traditional for children to learn the “Mother Tongue”; which is the language of their mothers.
After two hours of tarmac driving, we were in a small roadside town called Mbita where our “Chopper” was waiting. Our so-called speed boat was docked right next to the Coast Guard station with two proud coxswains ready and waiting to take us out to Mfangano. In Africa, you always have to have an open mind, and the speed boat opened mine! To say it was old and needed some care and attention was a stretch at best, some of the ribs were partially attached to the hull which although high had very little reinforcement; it flexed and wobbled the whole time we were on board. But the two young guys gave us life jackets, so off we went on our forty-five-minute ride across the lake.
We left the dock and went under the Mbita-Rusinga bridge and were soon heading into the Gulf of Winam which is the open expanse of water between Kenya and Mfangano. As soon as we were clear of the other islands, I noticed the wave height increasing and the worried looks on the other passengers’ faces. But the coxswain smiled and pushed back a little more on the throttle. Soon we rounded the end of Rusinga Island and hit the full force of the wind and the waves. The poor speedboat battled on, thumping over two and three-foot waves. I watched in horror as the boat’s ribs separated from the hull every time we slammed down from a wave. We all tightened our lifejackets and held on for grim death as we pounded across the short stretch of water and into lea of Mfangano Island.
Even though we were all a little green around the gills it was impossible not to admire the beauty of the island. Massive gulls circled above our heads, occasionally swooping down to grab a fish, Pied Kingfishers sat on every branch and rock I would not have been surprised if I had seen a dinosaur munching on a tree in the distance! The lush forest started at the water’s edge then continued up over rocky terrain full of massive boulders stretching inland to the cloudy peak of Mount Kwitutu. We cruised along the length of the island finally reaching Kisuri Resort one of only three resorts on the island. We moored against a rickety wooden pier and happily unloaded out bags from our chopper.
For someone who lives by and on the ocean being next to such an expanse of fresh water is very strange. Kisuri has a wonderful green lawn that stretches almost into the lake, no sandy beach just grass and then water. The resort is a boutique style hotel with eight rooms combined with an area for camping. Our new hosts made us very welcome with some fresh juice and plenty of chatting about Mfangano Island and its history.
Once we had settled in, I was stuck by the tranquillity, Mfangano only has a rough marram ring road the Government cut a few years back. But to date there are only a few cars on the island, everyone either walks or cycles. Kisuri is an off-grid hotel, so everyone is conscious of the use of power, consequently, there is no background noise. It was such a pleasure to sit on the veranda with a nice cup of tea and just embrace the silence and beauty of the gardens and lake.
As night feel small dots of light started appearing on the lake, as it became darker the dots of light increased until the whole lake was covered in tiny pin pricks. Our host explained that fishermen were busy catching a small edible fish called Omena (native Language), and also known as the Lake Victoria Sardine, they are a delicacy on the mainland. The fishermen fish from dusk until dawn then take the catch to the ferry at 6 am to be transported. This is where the terrible affliction of Mfangano Island starts with the sex for fish industry. As there is no employment on the island, schoolgirls are forced, through abject poverty, to sell their bodies for the catch. Their parents are then able to sell the fish on the mainland and manage to survive.
The next morning, a bright green bird started tapping on our bedroom window just before the sun came up. I peered out of the window to see who was trying to break in and was struck by the beauty of the early morning mist covering the lush garden and floating out onto the lake giving an eerie start to our day; birds were coming alive as the sun rose whooping and screeching in the jungle next to the resort.
Our plan for the first day was the waterfall climb. We headed out from the hotel along a narrow path that led between other houses with the occupants sitting out front watching the day go by. The track wound along the bottom of a steep cliff and out onto the road. I was amazed at the number of people walking along with us. After passing a small village, we turned inland and started climbing the cliff for real. Our guide from the hotel explained that the path was one of the main routes over the top of the mountain. As we climbed, we realised the path was steep and busy, I was constantly standing aside to let people pass some with huge baskets on their head full of dried Omena, fruit and all manner of other food stuffs. At one point a man passed me with a wheelbarrow on his head. After a thirty minute very sweaty climb we came out on the top of a bluff and were rewarded with a fantastic site of the lake stretching out below us. After a brief rest on the rocky outcrop, we cut off onto a sub track and soon heard the sound of rushing water in the distance. A few minutes later we arrived and were able to sit in the shade with our feet in the water and enjoy the experience of fast flowing cold water coming out of the rocks.
On our return journey we side tracked into a small village that had fish drying on large flat woven mats. I felt like I had walked into a Walt Disney Cartoon, at one end of the mats old ladies sat at the with large whips in their hands at the other sitting on a fence must have been fifty gulls all watching for a chance. As we watched one decided the risk was worth it and flew in to snack one of the fish, as he swooped in an ancient old lady flicked her wrist and the lash of the whip caught the bird square in the face chasing it away empty beaked.
The heat on Mfangano Island during the day is intense, especially when you are scaling mountain paths. So, the rest of the day was spent swimming in the lake, whilst keeping a watchful eye out for friendly hippos, or just sitting and enjoying the tranquillity of the island.
The first full day on Mfangano was a real treat but we had more to come. Follow me as I take a boat ride and climb into the jungle to see the famous rock art of Mfangano Island.
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Below are some more useful links about Safaris in Africa- Enjoy!
Top Tips for an African Safari and Beach Holiday
African Safari Which is the Best Country to Choose and Why?
Top Tips for the Perfect African Safari Vehicle
The Naming of Kenya-How and Why!
Zanzibar Tanzania-A must for your Bucket List
