Kenia | Lake Victoria | nijlbaars
Lake Victoria is the source of the Nile and, with a surface area of almost 70,000 km2, it is the largest lake in Africa, the largest tropical lake in the world and the second largest freshwater lake in the world. The depth of the lake does not exceed 100 metres and its great biodiversity means that Lake Victoria is extremely important.
The inhabitants of the villages that are located among the lush vegetation of the lake's banks greet you with a friendly smile. On the rolling hills around Kericho you will find vast emerald-green tea plantations and during the fishing trips you can try your hand at catching a Nile perch. These huge fish, which can weigh up to 140 kilos, are also known as the 'the king of the lake' and they are delicious.
As was customary of Arab traders, they were the first non-Africans to visit the lake during their search for ivory and gold. A twelfth-century Arab map accurately depicts Lake Victoria, as well - quiet remarkably - as the fact that the lake is the source of the Nile.
Europeans followed suit much later. In 1858 John Hanning Speke arrived at the southern banks of the lake and named the lake after Queen Victoria. His travel companion, Richard Francis Burton, did not agree with Speke's claims that it was the source of the Nile. Burton believed Lake Tanganyika to be the source and their disagreement was fought out in public. David Livingstone attempted to substantiate Speke's claims, but travelled too far west and ended up at the Congo River. In the 1870s Henry Morton Stanley demonstrated that Speke was right by circumnavigating Lake Victoria.
The islands of Rusinga and Mfangano are very popular among experienced fishers. Rusinga is accessible from the mainland by road. There are countless fossils to be found on Rusinga. This is where the anthropologist Mary Leakey found the skull of a 'proconsul Africanus', which were the ancestors of both apes and early humans that lived on the island 3 millions years ago. Prehistoric rock paintings can be seen on Mfangano.
The unspoilt Kakamega Rain Forest is one of Kenya's best-kept secrets. Here you will find a wide variety of animals, including colobus and red-tailed monkeys, galagos, pottos and leopards. More than 320 different species of birds have also been spotted here. Experienced hikers can also go on impressive walks in the Cherangani Hills.
