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City in Kisumu County, Kenya
Photo: Endesia94, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kisumu is a port city in western Kenya; it is on a bay on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria at an elevation of 1,131 m (3,711 ft). It is the headquarters of Kisumu County and after Kampala, the second largest city in the Lake Victoria basin.
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This is the second largest open air market in Kenya, and one of the oldest. It is on Jomo Kenyatta Highway, north-east of the city centre, about 1.5 km from the long distance bus stop. The market is active day and night every day.
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Hippo Point
Popular patch of land near the lake where you might catch a nice glimpse of the sunset. Despite the name there's hardly any hippos to see.
Kisumu is a very good starting spot for fishing expeditions on the lake.
There is a golf course in the Nyanza Club, near the lake, close to the airport. The club has a swimming pool and a tennis court.
The national library has books in English, Swahili and Luo.
Boardwalk
The papyrus boardwalk offers lake museum with Luo cultural artifacts. The place is ideal for bird watching especially endemic species e.g. papyrus gonolek, carruthers cisticola. It offers space for photo shoots, camping and parties/occasions.
Chinese cuisine.
Local and international cuisine. You must have a member card from the club (temporary cards are available).
Very popular bar/beer garden downtown. Gets very crowded on the weekend. African music all the way. Unfortunately no dance floor so if you feel like "moving" you gotta be careful not to knock the tables over. Average prices.
Hot showers, mosquito nets and window screens. Wifi. TV with satellite, a beautiful roof top terrace with lake view. Has 34 single and double rooms. Breakfast costs Ksh 200 per person.
Single/double with own bathroom and dstv. Clean place. Some rooms with lake view. Total of 22 rooms. Good security. Some rooms can be locked with your own padlock. Mosquito nets/window screens. Some rooms with ceiling fans. Bathroom, hot water showers in all rooms. Decent Wi-Fi in all rooms. No power generator.
Single/double rooms. Clean. Each room with small table, chair. Mosquito nets/window screens. Some rooms with ceiling fans. No Wifi. Hot water bathrooms. Has a dining room with TV lounge. Cheaper rooms with shared bathrooms.
Spacious double rooms. Quiet area.
Single room.
Very small rooms with TV, table, mosquito net. Wifi. Breakfast Ksh 200. Power generator. Quiet area.
Single/double rooms with own hot water bathrooms and nets
Single/double rooms with hot water bathrooms.
The Hacienda
A small guest house of 5 rooms. Wall fence with 24 hours security. Very neat and quite.
Affordable single/double rooms with own bathroom. decent and rather pleasant accommodation. Stay 4 days and get one day free.
Designed in an English colonial style with a modern twist.
Soapstone objects.
This market specializes in textile (kikoi, kanga, batik).
Another textile market.
Has a no fee Mastercard/Visa card ATM.
Has a no fee Mastercard/Visa card ATM.
Naivas has 3 stores in Kisumu. Has their own cafes with eat-in or takeaway food.
Kenya Airways office, supermarket.
Well stocked supermarket with bakery and take-away food section. Two stores in Kisumu.
Probably the biggest and best stocked supermarket in downtown. Good selection of imported and international items. Bakery/product/take away secion is lacking.
Has the only cinema in Kisumu and a large Naivas supermarket.
By boat
There are no ferries linking Kisumu with other cities on Lake Victoria.
By train
Passenger services from the capital Nairobi via Nakuru resumed in 2021 one time per week.
By bus & minivan
By car
Make sure to have an international driving licence. You can obtain one from the Road Transport Office in Nairobi. Travelling by day is recommended as the roads can be unsafe at night.
Despite being Kenya's third-largest city the traffic in Kisumu isn't all that bad. You can use the notorious boda boda (bicycle taxi), pikipiki (motorcycle taxis), matatus, buses, or you can rent a car.
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Kisumu · International · KIS
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