Top Touristic places – within Kisumu & environs

Points of Interest

Attractions in the city include Kibuye Market, Oile Market, the Kisumu Museum, an impala sanctuary, a bird sanctuary, Hippo Point,Shopping malls and the nearby Kit Mikaye and Ndere Island National Park. Although Kisumu has modernized over the years, it still maintains that old town feel especially on the outskirts and the culture is still very ingrained.

1) Kisumu Museum

Kisumu Museum, established in 1980, has a series of outdoor pavilions laid out in a formation similar to that of a Luo homestead. Some of the pavilions contain live animals. For example, one pavilion contains numerous aquaria with a wide variety of fish from Lake Victoria, along with explanatory posters. Another pavilion contains terrarium containing mambas, spitting cobras, puff adders and other venomous Kenyan snakes. Additionally, out of doors, the museum has a few additional exhibits, including a snake pit and a crocodile container.

Other pavilions show weaponry, jewellery, farm tools and other artefacts made by the various peoples of the Nyanza Province. Additionally, there are exhibits of stuffed animals, birds and fish. One pavilion houses the prehistoric TARA rock art, which was removed for its own protection to the museum after it was defaced by graffiti in its original location.

The museum's most important and largest exhibition is the UNESCO-sponsored Ber-gi-dala. This is a full-scale recreation of a traditional Luo homestead. Ber-gi-dala consists of the home, granaries and livestock corrals of an imaginary Luo man as well as the homes of each of his three wives, and his eldest son. Through signs and taped programs in both Luo and English, the exhibition also explains the origins of the Luo people, their migration to western Kenya, traditional healing plants, and the process of establishing a new home.

2) Dunga Beach and Wetlands

Dunga Beach and Wetland is known for its unique eco-cultural attractions due to its biodiversity and cultural rich and diverse papyrus wetland ecosystem and local community respectively. Ecofinder Kenya has established Dunga Wetland Pedagogical Centre at Dunga Beach is a grass-root led intervention whose overarching cardinal goal is empowerment of Dunga Wetland Community and improvement of livelihood security of its people. Therefore, some of the main focuses in the centre are promoting Eco-Cultural Tourism and facilitate the conservation of the Dunga Papyrus Wetland Ecosystem.

3) Kisumu Impala Sanctuary

Kisumu is the location of the Kisumu Impala Sanctuary. During the British rule, Impala Park now sanctuary was called Connaught Parade. Measuring just 1 square kilometre (0.39 sq mi), the sanctuary is one of Kenya's smallest wildlife preserves. As its name suggests, it is home to a herd of impala. Some hippos, as well as many reptiles and birds are also present. Additionally, several caged baboons and leopards who faced difficulties of one sort or the other in the wild are held in cages there. Over 115 different species of birds live there.

4) Hippo Point

Hippo Point is a 240 ha (590 acres) viewing area on Lake Victoria. Despite its name, it is better known as a viewing point for its unobstructed sunsets over the lake than for its occasional hippos. Hippo point is located near the village of Dunga, a few kilometres South West of the city. The village also has a fishing port and a camping site.

5) Kit Mikayi

Kit Mikayi, a large rock with three rocks on top, and is located off Kisumu Bondo Road towards Bondo. Kit-mikayi means "Stones of the first wife" or "First Wife Rocks" in Dholuo, the Luo language. It is a weeping rock; it is believed that Mikayi (literally, "the first wife") went up the hill to the stones when her husband took a second wife, and has been weeping ever since. It has become a popular local pilgrimage site for adherents of the Legio Maria sect who come to the rock to pray and fast for several weeks at a time.

6) Ndere Island National Park

It is an island of serenity and beauty located off the Kisumu- Bondo road. It takes approximately 45 minutes with a speed boat direct from Kisumu.  A wide variety of animals like hippos, baboons, monitor lizards, snakes, Nile crocodiles, impalas, sitatunga antelope, waterbucks, zebras and different species of birds can be found at the park.

7) Luanda Magere Site

A site in Sidho with a stone is still revered as the spot where Luanda Magere died and people come from far and wide to conduct rituals and prayers at the site.

8) Ruma National Park

Ruma National Park lies in Western Kenya, close to the shores of Lake Victoria. An island of wilderness in a sea of intense cultivation, the Park is situated in one of the most productive and populous regions in Kenya, and is one of the country’s more rewarding but less well-known Parks.

9) Lwang Beach Lake Victoria

It is a famous fish outlet on the shores of Lake Victoria, where you can enjoy fresh tilapia at affordable prices. This is one of the places you should never fail to visit when in Kisumu. It is located off Oginga Odinga Road, Kisumu.

10) Arts & Craft Market

You can visit the Maasai market located along the Kisumu- Nairobi road. Numerous art pieces, decorations and paintings can be found here. Another famous art market is the Kisumu Art House where a variety of art collections can be found.

11) Kiboko Bay Kisumu

It is an amazing tourist destination endowed with natural attractions and charms. You can watch the vibrant birdlife, enjoy boat rides and an excursion to the Dunga fishing village.

12) Kakamega Forest

Located one hour drive from Kisumu City - Kakamega Forest is a tropical rainforest situated in the Kakamega and Nandi County of Kenya, northwest of the capital Nairobi, and near to the border with Uganda. It is Kenya's only tropical rainforest and is said to be Kenya's last remnant of the ancient Guineo - Congolian rainforest that once spanned the continent.

13) Kericho Tea Farms

Located one and half hour drive from Kisumu City - Kericho is a Tea country which has placed Kenya to be the world third largest Tea producer after India and Sri Lanka. There are beautiful rolling hills carpeted in neat, bright green tea bushes as far as you can see. The climate here is perfect for Tea with rain falling almost every afternoon.

14) Kakamega Town

Located one hour drive from Kisumu City - Kakamega town is the capital of Kakamega County. A visit to Kakamega would definitely add fun and adventure to a Kisumu Itinerary. 

15) Kakamega Crying Stone

The Crying Stone of Ilesi is a local curiosity perched on a ridge 3km south of town. The formation, looking like a solemn head resting on weary shoulders.

16) Fishing Villages on Lake Victoria

Lining the shores of Lake Victoria are the enchanting fishing villages of the Luo tribe who spend their days sailing their traditional boats, fishing, raising their children and taking care of their homes and villages, seemingly unaware of guests. Visits to their villages demonstrate the unmatched hospitality of these native people. To the south of Kisumu City - fishing villages line Lake Victoria towards the broad waters of Homa Bay.

17) Sports

Moi stadium plays home to various teams such as Kisumu All Stars and Kisumu Telkom FC.  The country's current government has plans to build a national stadium. Kisumu is represented in the nationwide rugby league by Kisumu RFC. The city is also host to a leg of the national rugby sevens circuit, being one of only six city hosts. The Kisumu leg is referred to as the Dala sevens and the annual tournament is extremely popular attracting thousands of fans from across the country.

Kisumu is also well represented in the Kenya Basketball Federation League by Kisumu Lakeside which plays its home games at Jomo Kenyatta Sports Grounds.