Lake Victoria dominates life in Kisumu. The lake is everywhere — in the fish on every menu, in the fishing boats visible from the waterfront, in the late afternoon haze that softens the light. Getting out on the water, even briefly, gives you a different perspective on both the city and the sheer scale of this inland sea.
The lake stretches over 68,000 square kilometres across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. From Kisumu you can see Uganda on a clear day. Boat trips range from a short sunset cruise from Hippo Point to a full day out to Ndere Island or the Kenyan island communities further into the lake. The lake fishing tradition is ancient and continues today alongside the commercial trawlers — the traditional wooden dhows with their small outboard motors are as much a part of the landscape as the water itself.