PRIVATE RUMA NATIONAL PARK TOUR

RUMA NATIONAL PARK

Ruma National Park was established in 1966 as Lambwe Valley Game Reserve. The park is located in the vast Lambwe Valley. The area of the Ruma National Park consists of plains and swamps offering plenty of activities to its visitors. Due to its proximity to Lake Victoria, the park is an excellent escape from the city hustle. Visitors are mainly stunned by the scenery, especially Lake Victoria. Many point out that the park is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts. Many encounter animals such as roan antelopes, Rothschild's giraffes, oribis, cape buffalos, Lelwel hartebeests, olive baboons, Bohor reedbucks, hyenas, and birds such as blue swallows.

VIEW ITINERARY

Day 1: Kisumu City - Ruma National Park

Our guide will pick you to depart Kisumu at 8.00am by road via Kendu Bay and Homa bay town to reach Ruma River Lodge which is only 1km from Kamato Gate in time for lunch. After lunch drive to Ruma National Park for a game drive. Ruma National park lies in Western Kenya, close to the shores of Africa’s largest inland Lake, Lake Victoria. The park is considered the last retreat and the sanctuary of the endangered and threatened Roan antelope which is considered one of the Africa’s rarest Antelopes. This park was established in 1966 to protect its indigenous population of rare Roan antelope which exist nowhere else in Kenya. It acquired national park status in 1993 and renamed Ruma National Park on the request of the local community in honor of one of the most powerful Kenya’s wizards, the much-feared Gor Mahia who was living high on a hill which now forms part of the Kanyamwa Escarpment. The classic image of East Africa is realized in Ruma National Park, a land of rolling Savannah dotted with picturesque Acacias and backed by dramatic hills. Compact in size, the park is easily traversed by only two major routes and offers a unique mosaic of reverie woodland, golden Savannah and magnificent Escarpments. Well away from the beaten tourist track and relatively infrequently visited, it is also a park that excels in tranquility and the solitary enjoyment of the wilderness. Apart from the Roan antelope, we have also plenty of African Cape Buffalo (the only native African cow). The park also act as a home to the common waterbuck, the Aardvark, the honey badger, the solitary nocturnal African civet, Serval, Genet, Topi, Impala, Vervet Monkey, Olive Baboon and the Rothschild giraffes which are abundant, not forgetting the white rhinos which can be easily spotted grazing around and at night at Ruma River Lodge you can hear the sound of the secretive Leopard and the common sound of the spotted Hyena which will give you the memorable sound of African bush.

• Meal plan: Lunch and Dinner
  Overnight: Ruma River Hotel

Day 2: Ruma National Park – Rusinga Island – Kisumu City.

An early breakfast followed by departure to Rusinga Island through the beautiful Mbita-Rusinga Bridge for a tour around the 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.The drive brings you  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 will have time with curator who will tell about life and time of Tom Mboya who is famed with the Education Airlift         which saw so many bright young Africans going for further studies in America including the late Obama Senior. Lunch will be served at Rusinga Island Lodge before we drive to the 2.00pm Ferry to cross over to Lwanda K’Otieno for an onward drive to Kisumu to end the safari. 

• Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch
• Drop off: Residence, Airport/Hotel in Kisumu