Africa - Information about Kisumu, Kenya, please

I hope to visit Kisumu and would like to go on day tours to see local life. Can anyone recommend any tour operators they've used and recommend suitable hotels.

Is it 'safe' in terms of the vehicles provided and the state of the local roads to hire a car?

My wife spent some time in Kisumu (also Kakamega) the year before last, as part of a lengthy visit to health facilities and programs being operated by a big NGO in the region. She's a pretty seasoned traveler and reported back that conditions were rather basic (her euphemism) and that things like road transport and lodging conditions were very mixed; in particular road travel was slow and hazardous, with lots of side roads being very rough and in places impassible. She and her group had the use of drivers and 4WD vehicles and she was thankful that was the case; she said any kind of self-drive holiday would be a nightmare.

Now that's just one person's report (and second-hand at that) so I'd encourage other viewpoints.

On the other hand, she felt that the area was fascinating, she loved the Kakamega forest as well as some of the areas along the coast of Lake Victoria. She also loved the people she met, but that's to be expected in Kenya.

I'll come back with some more, especially recommended lodgings etc.

Thank you very much for this info ... please keep it coming! We are hoping to visit the 'real' Kenya, not the pricey resorts, beaches and camps .... because for us the whole point of visiting the country is to see the differences between ours and theirs.

Accommodation recommendations would be particularly welcome ... I understand that because of the proximity of Lake Victoria, mosquitos are a real pain, and whilst I don't need airconditioning, I'd like to be sure of having a mosquito net over my bed ... preferably without having to sew up holes before going to bed! Again THANKS.

I've not been to Kisumu, but have many colleagues who are from there and love the area. I have stayed on the other side of the lake many times and every B&B style place I've stayed in has had a mosquito net over the bed.

Thank you very much for this info ... please keep it coming! We are hoping to visit the 'real' Kenya, not the pricey resorts, beaches and camps .... because for us the whole point of visiting the country is to see the differences between ours and theirs.

Accommodation recommendations would be particularly welcome ... I understand that because of the proximity of Lake Victoria, mosquitos are a real pain, and whilst I don't need airconditioning, I'd like to be sure of having a mosquito net over my bed ... preferably without having to sew up holes before going to bed! Again THANKS.My wife and her group stayed at the Kiboko Bay Resort (http://www.kibokobay.com/) in Kisumu. Accommodations were in netted tents; air conditioning in solid structures would have been semi-pointless, she reported, owing to frequent power outages. She said the accommodations and hospitality were fine, but it was a bit noisy at night with various hippo arguments coming from the lakeshore. (Actually hippos are notorious wanderers at night and can be quite dangerous.) Apparently their hosts for the trip felt that Kiboko Bay was the best option for lodging in Kisumu that met any kind of decent standard; take that for what it's worth.

Much of their work was centered around Kakamega, however. Up there they stayed at the Rondo Retreat (http://www.rondoretreat.com/), a no-alcohol Christian retreat (her group was guilty of smuggling) that they enjoyed very much; they made day trips to Kakamega and other towns/villages in the region from there, including a couple of "nature days" in Kakamega Forest and at Mt. Elgon NP. They really needed the 4WD and drivers for the Mt. Elgon day - fairly hairy conditions.

Most of their time was spent visiting various health program sites - lots of AIDS/HIV, childhood disease, etc. in the region. Send me a PM and I'll give you the rest of the story - it's really quite interesting and I daresay inspiring.

Although her trip was during the late winter, her whole group took Malaria prophylaxis the whole time. Due to global warming, Malaria-carrying mozzies are being encountered in areas where they didn't use to be around much, e.g. higher elevations where it's now warm enough for the bugs to breed.

The Kakamega rain forest is one place most visitors to Kenya never see - fantastic birds, for one thing, and the high tea country is really lovely as well.

I've already thanked Gardyloo who gave me plenty to read and some useful pointers, but want to visit a tea plantation too - Kericho seems the most likely spot - as I drink a heck of a lot of tea!!

I am aware how awesome Kakamega is ......... but I'm really paranoid about snakes. Is it likely that they'll keep away if they hear my massive feet and loud mouth approaching? Or will they fall from trees and strangle me to get rid of me one and for all?