Rusinga Island Lodge
Kisumu Rusinga Island lodge is located in Western Kenya, eighty miles west of the Masai Mara on Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria – the world’s second largest freshwater lake. The Lodge can be accessed by private charter – an hour and a half flight from Nairobi, or from Masai Mara – 30 minutes. The lodge’s airstrip is directly in front of the lodge.
Rusinga Island Lodge Kenya is a remote and unspoilt destination that is ideal for an East African safari that’s off the beaten track. The lodge is situated surrounded by beautiful grounds on the shores of Lake Victoria. Stay in comfortable thatched cottages that have scenic views over the sparkling water.
Accommodation and Meals :
Rusinga is the smallest of the islands of Lake Victoria. Formerly a family home, the delightful Rusinga Island Lodge is a collection of charming en-suite cottages made from stone, wood and grass thatch, decorated in African fabrics, each with a private veranda. The Lodge’s renowned hospitality, delicious home-grown, home cooked food and indulgent accommodation combine to offer an ideal home from which to explore other areas of East Africa. Rusinga Island Lodge with its luxurious accommodation is a great place to relax before, during or at the end of a rigorous and exciting East African.
Thatched cottages overlooking Lake Victoria. Accommodation is in 6 individual cottages and 1 family cottage comprising a twin room and double room with interconnecting door. Each cottage at Rusinga Island Lodge is en suite and has its own veranda overlooking the lake. Bedrooms are either twin (with 2 queen size beds) or double (with 1 king size bed). Bathrooms at Rusinga Island Lodge are spacious with double sink and “soup plate” showers. Electricity is provided by both generator and inverter power offering an electrical supply 24-hours a day.
Savour delicious meals out on the lawns, on the jetty or by the pool and take in the tranquillity of the Island. Great pride is taken in the food served and all breads, pastas and cakes are home-made. Fruit and vegetables are collected daily from our large organic garden and no artificial fertilizers or chemicals are used. Fish dishes are a specialty – cooked Zanzibari style with coconut, lime and coriander. Rusinga Island Lodge Child-friendly and welcomes children.
Activities
Water skiing, Fishing, Biking, Hiking, Archaeological tours, wellness treatments. Rusinga Island Lodge offers sandy beaches, boat trips, guided walks, waterskiing, windsurfing, visits to bird islands and fishing for perch and tilapia – both of which can be cooked by the expert chef.
Giant monitor lizards and spotted-necked otters are often seen on the rocks around the island. Magnificent fish eagles soar overhead and swoop down low giving photographic opportunities. The friendly Luo fishermen fish along the shores in their colourful canoes and sailing dhows. Rusinga’s guests are welcome to visit their villages where the night’s catch is set out to dry in the sun and larger fish are smoked.
Ruma National Park is an hour’s drive away, which offers visitors the chance to see the village life of the lake people. Remote and seldom visited, the park is the last sanctuary of the rare roan antelope – a large antelope with magnificent black and white facial markings and swept back horns. Oribi, Bohor reedbuck, topi, waterbuck and buffalo are also common here and leopard are often sighted.
The fossil sites
The lodge offers guided tours of the famous Rusinga fossil sites. These fossils are from the Miocene period, dating back to between 18 and 20 millin years ago and may be found all over Rusinga Island. There are, however, three main sites. The most famous discovery was the skull of Proconsul heseloni, a five-million-year-old anthropoid ape, the lst common ancestor of the great apes and man, which was found by Dr Mary Leakey in 1974. It was so small it could be held in the palm of the hand. However, other finds included ancestral elephants, rhinos, pigs and gian, horse-shaped hyrax, as well as a myriad of rodetns, reptiles gastropods and plants, giving a fossilized microcosm of life from te Miocene era.