11 Days Wildlife and Cultural Safari
Day 1: Nairobi - Maasai Mara
Depart from your accommodation in Nairobi after breakfast for a journey along the floor of the Great Rift Valley with a stop over at the View Point to have a glance at the Breathe taking Escarpment with Panoramic View of Mt. Longonot. Picnic lunch enroute, and then enter Maasai Mara in the afternoon to enjoy a game drive before proceeding to the lodge / camp for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Maasai Mara Full Day.
Full day will be spent in the vast Maasai Mara in search of its renowned plain game; Black manned Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, and migration of Wild Beast and Zebras. The ride will take you to the famous Mara River where we have the Hippos and Crocodiles. This section also boasts of many species of bird life. Dinner and overnight at the lodge or camp. Note: You can enjoy Balloon ride very early in the morning, or a visit to a Maasai village or Nature Walk in between at extra cost.
Day 3: Maasai Mara – Kilgoris - Awendo
After an early breakfast, depart the Mara to Lolgorien to Kilgoris where we have maize and sugar plantation and the beautiful landscape of the Nandi people and on to Awendo the town which is known for its high production of sugarcane. Visit Sony sugar factory to get to learn the process of crushing sugar before we drive to Awendo town to check in at a budget hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Awendo – Gogo Falls – Thim Lich Ohinga
Depart Awendo after breakfast through beautiful Gogo falls into Thim Lich Ohinga. Thim Lich Ohinga is a unique architectural stone structure situated in Nyanza province 181kms South of Kisumu in Migori district. Pitch your tents and get ready for the wonder. The site lies on a gentle sloppy hill some 46kms North West of Migori town near Macalder’s mines. Thim Lich Ohinga is believed to be one of the most important 
archaeological discoveries in East Africa and only compared to Great Zimbabwe ruins and the modified Great Wall of China in terms of architectural achievements. A dry stone enclosure of zigzagging walls some 150m in diameter and 1.0 to 4.2m in height built on lose stones and blocks without any dressing or mortar. Archaeological record of material found within the site goes beyond 500yrs ago. Since the present inhabitants of the area arrived probably some 3 centuries ago, it seems most likely that Bantus who initially occupied this region prior to the arrival of Luos first built the stone structures to meet their security requirement to drive away the wild animals and protect them from the warring tribes around that area.
Thim Lich Ohinga, which literally in dholuo language means “frightening dense forest or scary jungle” was occupied after the Bantus by Kabwoch Kochieng clan who drove away the Bantus then followed by Kanyamkago clan whom also subsequently were driven away by Kadem who are the present occupants of the area around Thim Lich. Further story is that the famous Gor Mahia who was the youngest son of Ogada who was the grandson of Ogalo the most feared wizard in Luo Land and beyond drove away his elder brothers by killing their offspring’s because he was a powerful wizard which he inherited from his grandfather Ogalo, although all of them were wizards. This forced Ochieng his brother to go back to Kadem and request for shelter from their cousin the chief of the small clan of Kanyamwa in Kadem. Because of lack of land, Ochieng was told to settle and hide from the wrath of Gor Mahia in Thim Lich Ohinga which he also tried to repair and modify. Having seen the safety of the place, he invited his other brother Akuku who also came and settled next to Ochieng, then came Okech, then subsequently Oluoch and all these people had their homesteads next to Ochieng’s. These are the last people known to have occupied this historical place before the National Museum came in to make it a great monument under its umbrella.
Day 5: Thim Lich Ohinga – Macalder Mines – Thim Lich Ohinga.
After breakfast, we will drive to Macalder Mines, have a walk in the compound and get to learn how the Gold processing was been done by local people before driving back to Thim Lich Ohinga for lunch, then spend the afternoon at leisure taking your notes with an optional guided Nature walk to the villages to meet the people and get to learn much more about the rich culture and tradition of the Luo people and especially the Kadem clan at a cost not forgetting the panoramic view of this virgin land and its natural status. Dinner and overnight at the campsite.
Day 6: Thim Lich Ohinga – Sori – Nyamgondho site – Sindo – Mbita
After breakfast in Thim Lich Ohinga, drive up to the junction of Lwanda Magwar, then on to the highway dirt road to Sori, have a stop over to have a glance at the mythical stone which disappeared with no trace. Then to the right further to Karungu then to Gwasi, turn left at Kiabuya shopping centre then drive and meander over to the vintage hill to have a glance at the most scenic panoramic view of Kiwa Island which is the busiest Island and very rich in fishing activities and also to wonder at the view of the peninsular almost 2km inside the lake. Pass through Nyandiwa shopping centre, then turn left to reach Nyandiwa beach where we will stop and leave the car. Walk to the legendary site of Adikinyi Nyamgondho (connoting the time and the type of fishing in dholuo) the wife of Julu son of Ombare. The legend here is that there was a poor fisherman from Kamuela in Tanzania who came to sojourn in Kachwodho clan in Nyandiwa next to the present Nyandiwa fishing beach called Julu son of Ombare, grandson of Omae whom like other fishermen used Migondho kind of fishing to catch fish. Migondho was made from the fiber of sisal which was spined into a rope attached to a hook with crab as the bait to lure fish to be caught. One day, when Julu son of Ombare went to fish as usual, as he was pulling the rope, suddenly an ugly one eyed woman appeared and requested Julu son of Ombare to take her home and lit fire to make her warm as she was feeling cold. Julu son of Ombare was a very brave man and as per her request, she was taken home and apart from the fire, she lived with Julu son of Ombare and he gave her the name of Adikinyi Nyamgondho (connoting the time and the type of fishing in dholuo). Not knowing that this was luck, they started having cattle and multiplying them day by day. Julu son of Ombare became a very rich person and forgot that he was poor and hence he took to drinking and abusing the woman every other day until one time he decided to fight the woman. He even said that he doesn’t want an ugly woman like Nyamgondho as he had already married another woman. The lady decided to go back to the lake. Then animals in the compound started following her to the waters that even Julu son of Ombare could not stop them. The foot prints where they stepped on before jumping into the water are still there and can be seen when there is no much water on the shore.
The cowshed which was built for the cattle using the dry stone walls which has no mortars just like the ones in Thim Lich Ohinga and the ones in Lianda Tuwi can also be visited. The big tree which people believed was Julu son of Ombare watching in dismay when his wealth was going into the lake can still be seen to date. Water from this site is regarded sacred and most of the local denominations e.g. Legio Maria sect, Roho Israel e.t.c use it to sprinkle on their congregations to be blessed. After this amazing story, we return to the car pass through Nyandiwa shopping centre, turn left and drive along the beautiful scenic Lake shore to Sindo shopping centre .Drive further, still along the Lake through Gingo the shopping centre which is known for its Dagaa fish, to reach Mbita early evening. Pitch your tents, the rest of the day at leisure or an optional trek to Gembe Hills to view the Islands in Lake Victoria. Dinner and overnight at Lake Victoria safari village campsite at the shore of Lake Victoria.
Day 7: Mbita – Rusinga Full day
After breakfast, leave the campsite with your picnic lunch and drive past the course way to enter the famous Rusinga Island. Rusinga is an austerely pretty island with high crags dominating the desolate goat-grazed landscape. A single dirt road is running around its circumference. Life here is difficult, drought commonplace, and high winds a frequent torment. The occasional heavy rain either washes away the soil or sinks into the porous rock, emerging lower down where it creates swamps. Ecologically, the island is in very dire straits: almost all its trees have been cut down for cooking fuel or been converted into lucrative charcoal. These conditions make farming highly unpredictable and most people rely on some fishing to make ends meet. Yet the islanders, in common with their mainland cousins, remain unfailingly friendly and cheerful bunches, who are more than happy to make contact with wayward visitors. Drive towards left from the junction, stop somewhere and then walk on foot to visit the site where Dr. Mary and Louis Leakey found the skull of Proconsul Africanus which is believed to be approximately 18 million years old and was a man earliest ancestor and so was taken to National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi where you can view it when time allows and at an extra cost. It is also believed that this is one of the first important hominid finds of this two famous people.
Besides Ligongo, a visit to sacred rock Kiangata on Rusinga Island is an avoidable. The legendary story about this rock is that, the mother of the sub clan of Wakiangata who are occupying the area went to fetch firewood around the rock and she disappeared and so it is believed that she is leaving inside this sacred rock and whenever you shout, the unique eco sound which comes out of the rock is believed to be the sound of the mother of the Wakiangata sub clan and so the common question asked in Abasuba language here is Kiangata ufubreki (Kiangata, what have you prepared for us to eat today?) then there is an echo sound which comes out of the rock. After this experience, walk back to the car and further move to Tom Mboya’s mausoleum which lies on family land at Kamasengere on the north side of the island, about 7km by the dirt road from Mbita, or roughly 5km directly across the island. The mausoleum (open most days to visitors) contains various mementoes and gifts Mboya received during his life. Tom Mboya, civil rights champion, trade unionist and charismatic young Luo politician who was gunned down in Nairobi in 1969, sparking off a crisis that led to over forty deaths in widespread rioting and demonstrations.
You don’t have to know anything about the man to be impressed. In any other surroundings his memorial might seem relatively modest, but on this barren, windswept shore, it stands out like a beacon. Mboya’s family live right next door and are happy to see foreign visitors, who rarely come here. After the sad painful story and readings about Mboya, we will drive further past Kaswanga through the Tom Mboya memorial hospital and Tom Mboya secondary to stop at Wanyama to have a glance at the legendary rock portraying the bulls which fought into the lake and turned into two rocks facing each other. The legend about this rock is that long time ago when young men went to look after the herds, there was one common place where they could water their herds and after this, each clan could identify a bull to fight in between the clans and hence the two rocks were two bulls from Nyama and Ware clans. After this, we proceed to Lianda tuwi, the vintage point to have a glance at the central Nyanza with its Islands and then walk to the dry stone enclosures which resembles the ones at Nyamgondho’s site and Thim Lich Ohinga which were portraying the houses which are believed that were used by the first settlers in this area. Also get to learn the difficulties the local people face in terms of farming as they can not use the normal tools like any other African style because the whole area is dominated by sedimentary rocks which is believed that there must be hot springs underneath which might one time erupt. Then drive back to Mbita for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Mbita – Takawiri - Mfangano – Mbita
After breakfast, with your picnic lunch, enjoy a ride on traditional boat with horse power engine past the two smallest Islands called Mbasa Namiyolo to reach the beautiful Island of Takawiri with very white sands and get to know how they survive and live with the traditional fishing style. This Islands of Lake Victoria are settled by Abasuba tribes who are Bantu speakers and believed to have come from Uganda more than 200yrs ago. Some of them went first to Tanzania before settling here. The name “Suba” means “the people who are always wandering”. The arrival of the Abasuba displaced the Nilotic cattle handling Luo people who moved further north. We ride further to Mfangano Island where we have the geometric rock paintings at Mawanga cave and Kwitone in the Island. It is believed that the rock art pre-dates the migration of both Nilotes and Bantus and is thought to be the work of ancestral Twa, a forager-hunter people who may have been originally related to the pygmies of Eastern Congo. Meanwhile the Abasuba long ago embraced the Art as part of their own ancient heritage. The paintings are thought to have been made between 1000 and 4000yrs ago and may have been used for rain making purposes. It is known for instance those similar paintings in Eastern Uganda only 200kms North of Suba district were used for this purpose. Rock engraving site in the area include “cupule” sites, where cup-shaped depressions have been ground into the rock surface, as well as a rock gong. Although cupule’s often resembles a Bao game their original use is likely to have been for ritual purposes, such as initiation. Cupules are found all over the world and are thought to be amongst the oldest form of rock art probably predating paintings such as those Mawanga and Kwitone by thousands of years.
Rock gongs are normally free- standing boulders balanced on the living rock which have a natural resonance, and often bear a number of cupules. When the boulders are struck with a stone, they emit a ringing tone like a bitten gong. Rhythmic striking produces a series of tones that carry great distance. A number of rock gongs are found in the Lake Victoria basin and in the Moru Koppies in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park as well as in the Mt. Kenya region. Ones we reach the shore of Mfangano, we will have 5 minutes walk from the boat and then reach Mawanga. Although they were painted as part of a vanished mythology, the cave, the paintings and the surrounding area retain powers in the traditions of the Abasuba. The Wasamo clans, who live around the cave, are the rain makers of the Abasuba, and the elders agree that the paintings have been used for rain making ceremonies, with the red paintings representing the moon and the white ones representing the sun. On the upland part of Mfangano Island is the Kwitone rock shelter which we can reach if time allows, the art here is similar to that of Mawanga, although retaining more of its color and vibrancy. The elders of the Wagimbe clan explain that if you wanted to come to Kwitone to talk to the ancestors, you were not allowed to call the site by its name or tell anyone that you are coming; you were also supposed to abstain from sex. If you follow the instructions, then when you arrive at the site, you may be able to see the paintings of hens, old men and women drinking alcohol. If you did not follow the instructions, you might see nothing not even the smallest paintings. The Wagimbe also used the rock to ask the ancestors and even the time of the clan battles e.g. between Wagimbe and the Wasaki (approximately 200yrs ago), the Wagimbe had taken refuge in the cave. The women then dressed up as men and standing in the mouth of the cave scared the attackers into thinking that they were double the number of warriors as was actually the case. Up to now, people still visit the cave to ask the ancestors and success in their various endeavors. After getting to learn the wonders of the two rocks, we ride back to Mbita, picnic lunch enroute, after relaxing you can enjoy optional hike to Gembe Hills to have a view of the beautiful isles in Lake Victoria before dinner and overnight at the campsite. Note: You can donate towards the upkeep of Abasuba community peace Museum in Mbita to continue with their good work of maintaining the rock arts.
Day 9: Mbita – Kit Mikayi – Kisumu.
After an early breakfast, depart from Lake Victoria safari village campsite at 06:30am to the ferry which departs at 07:00am to Lwanda K’Otieno where you will reach after 45min. Between Mbita and Lwanda, you will have a chance to see fishermen at work in their boats closer to the ferry. This is because the sound of the ferry makes fish to run towards the nets and hence the big catch. Drive from Lwanda K’Otieno past the small shopping centers and modern build up Luo villages to Ndori which is on the junction of the busy Bondo – Kisumu Highway. Pass through Akala market which is famous for cattle sale in the whole of Nyanza region to get to learn after interacting with both sellers and buyers, the tricks and preservation of this old traditional trade which is attracting buyers and sellers as far as Kisii, Migori, Kadem, Karungu, Kanyamwa, Gem, Alego e.t.c. Then drive to Seme to reach Kenya’s most dramatic archaeological sites, a vast granite rock tower called Kit Mikayi. The rock is situated in Kisumu district, Maseno division, East – Seme – location, Kit – Mikayi sub-location, Kangeso village, Kadol clan.
The rock which is about 70 to 80 ft tall is located 30kms Far East of Kisumu city and 1km from Kisumu - Bondo road. The sign board is on the gate of Kit Mikayi primary school then you enter through N’gop-Ngeso primary school. The legendary story behind Kit Mikayi which in Luo means the stone of the first wife is that: Long time ago, there was an old man by the name Ngeso who was in great love with the stone. He could wake up in the morning and walk to the cave inside the stone and stay there the whole day which could force his wife to bring him breakfast and lunch everyday in there. The old man became passionately in love with this stone to the extent that if somebody could ask the wife the whereabouts of the old man, the wife could answer that he has gone to his first wife (Mikayi) hence the stone of the first wife (Kit Mikayi). More further explanation about this unique stone is that according to its feature and components, the structure represents the Luo cultural polygamous family which had the first wife’s house (Mikayi) built further in between on the right hand side was the second wife’s house (Nyachira) while the third wife’s house (Reru) was built on the left hand side of the homestead. This rock also is seen to have a nuclear family whereby the father (Ngeso) being the middle stone followed by the bulky Mikayi (first wife), then Nyachira (second wife) followed by Reru (third wife) and further in front they have the child which is representing Simba (which is the house for the first born boy in the homestead). The site since time immemorial has been a worship place and is usually being used by the Legion Maria sect, and you can see the remains of lit up candles in the middle of several colors. Inside the cave, it is believed that there is a hole in the middle of the cave which was co-joining Lake Victoria and one time an Asian dropped in and was found dead in Lake Victoria and hence the late Dr. Robert Ouko who was the Member of Parliament for the area by then and also the former most respected Foreign Affairs Minister in Kenya ordered for the closure of that dangerous hole. After this, we take Bondo road and drive to Kisumu city, check in to your campsite, the rest of the day at leisure or an optional visit to Impala sanctuary and Dunga beach at a cost. Picnic lunch enroute, dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Kisumu – Lwanda Magere site (Kano) – Kericho
After breakfast, drive to Awasi junction, divert on your left hand side and then drive to the site where one of the great Luo sons was laid to rest. Magere was staying in Kano in a clan called Sidho, however, he was not a true Kano man, and he was coming from Kombe clan which was not Luos but “Mwa”. The mythical story about Magere is that, long time ago there was a problem of grazing land between Nandi people and Luos in Kano. The most fertile land was found in Kano plains and the Nandis living on the hilly areas could not find enough grass for their animals, therefore, the two tribes were engaged in wars every other day and mostly Luos were beings killed and their herds taken away. One day, Lwanda Magere decided to join the fight and make sure that their cattle are grazed in their piece of land and hence he joined the fight and killed several of the Nandi people. Both sides were amazed at the power and strength of this gigantic Luo warrior. According to the story, no spears neither any metal could enter his body because the body was as strong as stone hence the name “Lwanda” in Luo connoting rock. These wars were numerous and every time the proud Lwanda 
Magere imaged the winner with Nandis being killed in hundreds. The Nandis decided that this could not go on and one of them called “Rono” decided to befriend Lwanda Magere and after each and every fight, they could sit alone together and have a preview of the fight and Rono could ask Lwanda Magere kindly to forgive the Nandi people and not to kill them any more which Lwanda Magere declined and the fight continued. Then they decided to give him a lady to marry with an ill motive of knowing his powerhouse where his strength was resting. Lwanda Magere picked the most beautiful lady among the three and decided to marry her as a second wife to the dismay of his first Luo wife.
One day, while the first wife (Mikayi) was away, either in their home attending a funeral or in their farm, Lwanda Magere fell ill and called his second wife (Nyachira) to administer a drug (Buru) by cutting with a small knife (Mirich) as she tried, the first one became blunt and the second one was broken and so this lady told Lwanda Magere that she is trying an impossibility. There and then, Lwanda Magere revealed to her the secret of his power as he woke up and pointed at his shadow and instructed the woman to do the same to the shadow and all of a sudden the blood came out and after administering the drug (Buru) , the woman left Lwanda Magere sleeping and went along river Nyando to meet Rono and spill out the information. The woman disappeared not to return. One day after Lwanda Magere was well, there was a fight again and after Lwanda Magere killing several of the Nandi people, one of them took a spear and on hiding threw it to the shadow and it pieced into him and the great man fell down and that place turned into a pond. Darkness surrounded the place and when light came in, the body disappeared. It took two good years of drought and deaths to both people and the cattle while he was sending the dreams to the prominent magicians in Luo land and they will be saved from the drought. When they eventually got him, where the big body laid down and after identifying him as Lwanda Magere, he buried himself by sinking down and only leaving his right hand out which he promised that all the hunters and great fighters in Luo land will use to sharpen their spears and all the generation after generation of Luo tribe will have to learn and identify themselves with their great son of the soil and hence till to date, the hand is still in the same site and can be viewed any day.
After this fascinating and moving story, we will drive back to Awasi junction, turn left and drive through the beautiful panoramic view of Nandi hills, Muhoroni sugar e.t.c. to reach Kericho early evening , check in at Kericho Tea hotel campsite and pitch the tents. Kericho tea hotel was built in 1950’s by Brooke Bond Tea Company and has an old World Airstrip and then go for an escorted walk in the Tea Plantations. Kericho is a Tea country which has put 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. Kericho was named after Ole Kericho, a Maasai Chief who was killed in the battle by the Gusii in the 19th Century. The hotel also has an optional trout fishing activity at a cost. Dinner and overnight at the campsite. Note: You can donate towards the maintenance of this wonderful site and the upkeep of its Curator.
Day 11: Kericho – Nairobi
After breakfast, take your picnic lunch boxes with you, depart to Nairobi through the Tea plantations and the tropical Molo forest into Great Rift valley with a view of Mt Longonot
