Overview
Introduction
Located 200 mi/320 km west of Nairobi, Lake Victoria is the world's second-largest lake and the main source of the Nile River. Perhaps because Kenya has such an abundance of natural beauty, it ranks fairly low as a tourist destination—the smaller lakes in the Rift Valley are generally more rewarding to visit. But if you're interested in fishing (for Nile perch, especially) or if you're in the area and time is not a problem, by all means visit its shores. We took a fun ride in dugout canoes and saw plenty of pelicans and herons.
Don't swim in the lake, however: Bilharzia, a liver-damaging parasite, is present in some areas. For serious (and wealthy) anglers there are wonderful luxury fishing camps on both Mfangano and Rusinga islands—both can be reached by private air charter from the Masai Mara after a safari.
Overview
Introduction
The source of the Nile and situated just south of Kampala, Lake Victoria is best seen in Uganda at Jinja. This is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. There are nice beaches and properties on the shore, but swimming is not recommended, because of the presence of the flukes that cause bilharzia, which can result in severe liver damage.
The Ssese Islands are a collection of 84 beautiful, untouched islands on the lake. Only inhabited by a few fishermen, the forests on the islands attract thousands of birds and butterflies. One of them, Ngamba Island, is the home to a sanctuary of rescued chimpanzees and can be reached by boat from Entebbe.