Kisumu

Located on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria, Kisumu is Kenya's third largest town. At one time, Kisumu was a transportation center, having a railroad line from Mombasa and the water routes of Lake Victoria, and was also a military and administrative center. Lake Victoria even had a steamship by the early 1900s, with each piece of it being carried up from Mombasa. (It took a while to get a complete steamship together because pieces often disappeared only to reappear in the form of jewelry and weapons.) Kisumu's economy collapsed in 1977 and the town hasn't recovered.

Kisumu, although by no means the prettiest town in Kenya, does have some worthwhile places to visit. The Kisumu Museum has a variety of interesting animal exhibits, including a stuffed lion pouncing on an equally stuffed Wildebeest. There are ethnographic exhibits and a display of musical instruments. The aquarium isn't worth much but the snake house offers a fairly complete collection of the local slithering life.

Not far from Kisumu is Hippo Point, but it apparently is not what it used to be except for the beautiful sunsets. Boat rides on Lake Victoria are fun and widely available, and you can either find one yourself (at a negotiable price) or you can go through one of the hotels. There are also some bird sanctuaries in the area which are worth visiting, including a heronry, a pelicanry, and a sacred ibis colony.

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