SEARCH AND BOOK HOTELS IN MOMBASA BEACH, KILIFI AND DIANI BEACH AREAS Booking.com
Mombasa, the second largest municipality in Kenya with a population of roughly 670,000, lies four degrees south of the equator on the western flank of the Indian Ocean. Its climate is tropical, marked with high humidity, high temperature, strong ocean winds, and the intense brilliance of the midday sun that glares off lime-whitewashed stone houses. Mombasa consists of a small island, three miles long and 5.5 square miles in area, connected to the mainland by bridges and ferries. Mombasa's coastline is sheltered by a coral reef running parallel to the shore about one mile out from the high-water mark. Beaches of fine sand and gentle slope provide ideal sites for a rapidly developing hotel and cottage resort industry. Most of Mombasa sits on loose, sandy soil, but the eastern part stands on a porous coral base. Local building materials include coral, mud, wattle, thatch, and stones.
For centuries, Mombasa served as a vibrant trading center. Swahili merchants served as middlemen, exporting products from the East African interior in exchange for goods purchased from Indian Ocean merchant ships. Especially during the 19th century, Swahili caravans traveled far into the interior in search of slaves and ivory, and some of these traders established inland trading posts.
Modern shipping has taken over the long-distance ocean trade routes once traveled by dhows, the Swahili's wooden sailing vessels. Cities such as Mogadishu and Mombasa, now major industrial ports, have attracted many migrants from the East African interior. Swahili now contains many English words and has become the lingua franca of much of East Africa, spoken by more than 130 million people.
Search and book hotels in Kisumu and around Lake Victoria Booking.com Lake Victoria is the world's second largest freshwater lake covering an area of 67,850 kms (26,200 sq miles). This vast expanse, about the size of the Republic of Ireland, forms the main headwaters of the River Nile. Its Kenya focus, Kisumu, is 350 kms (220 miles) from Nairobi by road. Three nations share the waters of Victoria - Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. In the Kenya area there is a busy network of waterways between the trading towns and villages which lie along the shores of the lake. Lighters and small cargo vessels ply daily from Kisumu down as far as the Tanzania border and north as far as Port Victoria near Uganda.
Kisumu, the capital of Western Kenya, and the country's third largest population centre is the home of various industries and many small scale fisheries. Tilapia, Nile Perch and several other species provide a steady income for the fleets of Luo fishing canoes and boats which sell their catches at any of several markets located along the Lake's coast. With their lateen sails, these traditional dug-out vessels are an attractive sight.
Kisumu came into existence with the completion of the Uganda Railway five years after line laying began almost 1,000 kms away in Mombasa. It was briefly called Port Florence. Only forty years earlier, the English explorer Speke, having travelled along the western side of the lake reached a place he named Ripon Falls. It was these cataracts, at what is now Jinja, in Uganda, which he proclaimed the source of the Nile in 1861.
Lake Victoria Safari Village
Lake Victoria Safari Village is situated on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria in quiet and nice surroundings just inland of Rusinga and Mfangano islands. By road it is about 150 km from Kisumu and 400 km from Nairobi. You can visit colourful Luo fishing beaches or try your own fishing skills to catch Nile Perch (mbuta) Fishing, bird watching, sightseeing trips by road to the nearby Ruma national game park or on the lake in traditional canoes powered by sail or outboard-engine can be organized. Rusinga Island camp
Home to the International Camel Derby The Northern Frontier District. You will traverse along some of Africa’s worst roads, see beautiful mountain forest surrounded on all sides by hot dusty deserts, eventually arriving at our camp on the shores of the Jade Sea (Lake Turkana). Ours is the only camp situated right on the beach of the lake with spectacular views of the South Island. The camp comprises 12 double traditional Turkana palm leaf huts, a dinning/lounge, kitchen, showers and toilets. Our 20-seat boat is based here and is available for sunset cruises and our visit to Elmoro Bay some 12 kms to the north. You will see a great variety of tribes during the tour and cross the Chalbi Desert if dry. During the rains it becomes an enormous shallow lake.
All safaris depart with either the 24 seater trucks or 4x4 wheel drive land cruisers or Land rovers
Cruzeiro Safaris Kenya is a member of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators Full Member Category E Number 377 (FE/377)
gift and souvenir
The gifts and souvenir are an integral part of the travel experience and most tourists return home with souvenirs to preserve and commemorate such experiences.
We have aligned a sample of few items in the Kenya. If in Nairobi, we can deliver for free until 30th November, 2020.
