Safari to Mfangano Island

Safari to Mfangano Island : The Abasuba word “okuwangana,” which means “to unite” or “a place where people united,” is the source of the name Mfangano Island. On the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria, it is just one of several islands. The island is breathtaking; it’s a great spot to unwind and take in the view, the singing of the birds, and the cool lake breeze. It is a place where people come together and have fun on a Kenya safari.

Because the island is home to some of the locations where “The Rock Art of Africa” can be found, visitors to the island often refer to it as the Rock Art Island. According to former UN Secretary Kofi Annan, this art represents one of the planet’s oldest and most comprehensive archives of human ideas. It is an invaluable artefact that demonstrates the earliest beginnings of human creativity and cannot be replaced. In telling the story of an early group of hunters and gatherers who may have predated the current dwellers of this region and migrated from northern Kenya all the way to southern Africa, the rock art of Mfangano is analogous to that of Nyiro and Kondoa.

When visiting the island, you get the chance to engage in day-to-day safari activities with the locals, such as fishing, boating, and cooking, while also learning about their history and heritage and lending a hand with local initiatives and schools.

This island’s primary distinctive and fascinating attractions are as follows:

The primary locations of the Suba Rock Painting Sites are Mawanga Cave, which is a short stroll from the boat landing, and Kwitone, which is a roughly 40-minute climb from Mawanga Cave.

Cupules and Rock Gongs Engraved on Suba Rocks.

Cupules are still used for the ancient game of Bao, which is played in Suba with four rows of eight holes, although they no longer have any ceremonial functions. The same trail that passes by the Kwitone art site also features these Cupules. You will visit Mfangano Island’s rock gong throughout your stay here.

Nzenze, the Sacred Island.

Because it is believed to have followed the Wasamo tribe during their migration from Uganda and will do so wherever they go, this island is also known as the Moving Island. It is still employed in rituals that produce rain.

Peace Trees and Sacred Forest.

There are several tiny sacred forests and peace trees in Suba District. These were crucial in the past as channels of contact with the ancestors, and the majority of them are still in use and safeguarded now, particularly for resolving family disputes or fostering communal harmony. The mainland village of Sindo is home to a number of sacred locations that are easily accessible by foot. However, tourists should exercise caution because one of the trees is thought to be so poisonous that anyone who touches it would die; they could even die if they walk in its shade or go downwind of it! Birds and other animals are also impacted. It is said that scientists who have made an effort to learn more about the tree have vanished from sight. There may be carbon dioxide springs in other parts of Kenya that have effects comparable to those of the toxic tree that current science is unaware of, but they would remain hidden until it was too late.

Nyamugondho-The Lady of the Lake.

In western Kenya, the place is highly respected and well-known because to the Nyamugondho mythology, which refers to the Net Lady. According to folklore, Mbare used his net, known as Mugondho, to fish in the lake. He had nothing and was quite impoverished. A stunning woman was inside his “Mugondho” net when he pulled it in. After he drew her into the property, they made a deal whereby she would live with him and he would keep her location a secret. Living together as husband and wife, Mbare became wealthy and acquired numerous women and animals. When he knocked on one of his wives’ doors after returning home drunk one day, she refused to let him in. He then proceeded to the door of his subsequent wife, but she wouldn’t open it either. He finally approached Nyamugondho’s door and rapped on it. She didn’t open the door either, so he exclaimed, “What? Even you, whom I discovered in the water, are unwilling to let me in? In a fit of rage, Nyamugondho asked Mbare, “What have you said? What did we agree upon when we first met? Mbare was unable to recall, but Nyamugondho set out right away to return to the lake from where she had come, bringing the animals with her.

Mbare returned to his origins and once more found himself in poverty. According to local tradition, the spot where Nyamugondho entered the river is marked by rock formations that resemble her animal and footstep footprints. The people in the area travel as far as Kisumu to gather the holy water because they think the water that flows above “the footsteps” has therapeutic properties.

How to get to Mfangano Island from Nairobi.

You can charter a direct flight to the Mfangano Island airfield or take a speed boat from Rusinga airfield, which is located near Mbita, to Mfangano.

Travel to Homa Bay Airport via scheduled commercial flights, approximately 45 minutes away from Mbita. From there, take a speed boat to Mfangano Island.

Take scheduled commercial flights to Kisumu Airport which is about 3 hours’ drive from Mbita; take a speed boat to Mfangano Island.

You can also combine a safari to Maasai Mara then by road to Mbita, take a speed boat to Mfangano Island.

Drive to Mbita then take a speed boat to Mfangano Island