| Southern Nyanza | |
 | |
| The Gulf of Winam seen from the summit of Mount Homa | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Kenya |
|---|---|
| Region | Western Kenya |
| main city | Kisii |
| Lake | Lake Victoria |
| Watercourse | Migori, Polled Miriu |
| Minimum altitude | 1 131,7 m (lake victoria) |
| Maximum altitude | 2 189 m (mount Kwirathia) |
| Area | 6 386,7 km² |
| Population | 3 631 498 hab. (2009) |
| Density | 568,6 inhab./km² |
| Other language | luo, gusii, suba |
| Telephone prefix | 254 followed by 58 or 59 |
| Location | |
 0 ° 46 ′ 59 ″ S 34 ° 25 ′ 16 ″ E | |
the Southern Nyanza is a region of Western Kenya.
Understand
Regions
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Cities
- 1 Kisii – 81,801 inhab. (2009), capital of Kisii county
- 2 Homa Bay – 59,844 inhab. (2009), county seat of Homa Bay County
- 3 Migori – 53,100 inhab. (2009), capital of Migori County
- 4 Nyamira – 12,719 inhab. (2009), capital of Nyamira county
Other destinations
- 1 Ruma National Park (Ruma National Park) – The park is accessible from Homa Bay by the C19 and then by the C18. It is a region of open woods and groves dominated by acacias and balanites east of Gembe and from the hills of Gwasi in the valley of Lambwe. It is the only protected area in Kenya where the endangered species of blue swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea), who is a rare intra-African migrant, is regularly registered. They arrive in Ruma from their breeding grounds in Tanzania southern around the month of April and leave in September. Black-backed cisticolas (a species probably extinct in Kenya) have also been reported but without real scientific confirmation. A range of mammals breed in the park but the most notable is the horse antelope (a rare species in Kenya). Adults can weigh up to 270 kg and live about 15 years. Others include ourbis, reed cobs, and Rotschild's giraffes. The park is also rich in ostriches, chimpanzees and impalas. Plans are also underway to reintroduce the white rhino which had disappeared from the region.
- 2 Thimlich Ohinga –
(2018). Archaeological site managed by National Museums of Kenya and located on a gently sloping hill about 10 km north-northeast of the Macalder gold mines. After leaving the A1 To Suna, from where the route is signposted, the site is accessible by C13 and the C19. Literally in luo language, Thimlich means "the great frightening forest" and Ohinga a "large enclosure". It is a series of more or less circular stone enclosures measuring from 1 to 10 foot thick and from 1 to 4.2 meters of height built without primer or mortar occupying an area of more than 21 Ha which were used by the Luo to defend themselves from the Nandi looters. The oldest remains of this fortress, which was occupied until 1981, have more than 500 years. Although this is the best-preserved site, it is far from the only specimen of a defensive wall in the eastern region of lake victoria. We counted 521 in 139 different localities, either built by Bantu or by Nilotes.
The islands of Rusinga and Mfangano can be reached either by the southern shore of the Gulf of Winam or by its northern shore, or by chartered flight from theKisumu International Airport. In 2010, the National Museums of Kenya submitted a dossier to UNESCO for the two-island complex to be inscribed on the world heritage as a cultural asset.
- South Shore : (152 km since Kisumu until Mbita) this route offers beautiful perspectives on the Gulf of Winam as well as on the ancient volcanoes of Homa and Nyamaji. Take the B1 to Ahero, then the A1 until Awach and, finally, the C19 to the locality of Mbita. Rusinga is accessible by a narrow artificially constructed causeway between Mbita and the island. Mafangano, on the other hand, is accessible by a ferry leaving from Mbita.
- North shore: (89 km since Kisumu to Luanda K'Otieno) take the B1 until Kisian then the C27 until Ramba then the C27 to the village of Luanda K'Otieno. From there, take a ferry to the town of Mbita.
- 3 Rusinga Island – Of volcanic origin, the island is 16 km and maximum wide 5 km. It is widely known for its fossil beds extraordinarily rich in insects, reptiles and mammals 18 million years old, and therefore, dating from the Miocene. The island had only been loosely explored until Mary Leakey's expeditions in 1947 and 1948 began systematic land excavation searches, which have continued sporadically since then. At the end of 1948 the collection included approximately 15,000 fossils, including 64 primates called by Louis Leakey miocene monkeys. They are Proconsuls of the species Proconsul nyanzae, that is, the oldest hominoids. Fossils of an antelope species now extinct and known nowhere else dating from the Pleistocene have also been unearthed. In Kamasengere, in the western part of the island is the 1 mausoleum of Tom Mboya who was a politician and Minister of Economy and Development under the government of Jomo Kenyatta before being assassinated in Nairobi the as he left a drugstore. The object most viewed is the briefcase he wore in his hand at the time of his assassination.
- 4 Mfangano Island – Departing from the village of Ukula, where the monitors and hippos bask on the north shore of the island of volcanic origin, and after an hour or two of walking in the company of a guide (there is no no motorable road on the island), we arrive on the hill of Itone. If the view on the north coast of the island and the lake victoria surprisingly, it is also here that there are cave paintings dated around 18,000 years. They have been identified as the work of pygmy hunters of the Twa ethnic group from Congo. These are reddish spirals and laces, some of which have a radius exceeding the 50 cm representing the course of the sun from dawn to the end of the day. The natives still see supernatural powers in them and closely monitor the acts of vandalism. The site is still used for traditional ceremonies related to rain incantations. It should therefore not be surprising that from Ukula, we try to make you wait a day or two in order to prepare the "gods" for your coming and that many questions concerning the paintings are avoided. Another site, located in the Odengere Hills, has insect fossils so finely engraved that each species can be easily identified.
Two hotels can be an ideal base for visiting the islands of Rusinga and Mfangano as well as, possibly, the ruma national park.
- 1 Lake Victoria Safari Village Off Mbita-Sindo Road, 40305 Mbita (right on the C19, 2 km South of Mbita),
254 720 716665 (cellphone), e-mail : [email protected] 
Average price. – Comfortable rooms in bungalows by the lake victoria. - 2 Mbita Tourist Hotel Off Mbita-Homa Bay Road, 40305 Mbita (left on the C19 in Mbita), 254 729 433343 (cellphone) Average price.
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Destinations bordering southern Nyanza in Wikivoyage
