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Last weekend I had the pleasure of being invited to attend a birthday party for Hon. Olago Aluoch’s daughter Audrey who was turning ten and his grand daughter Tammy who was turning One. The party was being hosted by mheshimiwa‘s family at the yet to be completed Maboko Island Resort which is popularly known as Camp Tom.
You can access the Island on a yacht from any part of Kisumu but if you are driving, you have to take the Kisumu – Bondo road for about five Kilometers from Kisian Junction and branch to your left at the Obambo Mixed Secondary School junction and drive towards Ogal Beach.
On this day we had the pleasure of driving with mheshimiwa in his car to Camp David – One of his other private recreational facilities adjacent to Ogal Beach – for you to access Camp Tom from the main land, you have to go through Camp David where you will take a yacht to the Island.
Serenity and utter bliss are just but some of the adjectives that describe the beautiful lakefront property that is Camp David, today though I will spend my energies on the island resort.
To access the Island we took a five minutes ride aboard Mv. Wembe, a 60-seater luxurious yacht that ferries visitors between Camp Tom and Camp David but on a good day you can go deep lake fishing aboard this magnificent vessel.
The facility also has a five-seater speed boat and a 10-seater canoe that you could use to cross over to the island from Kisumu Yacht Club, Tilapia Beach or Camp David.
Your level of confidence determines where you ride on the yacht, on this day mheshimiwa was riding on top of this yacht with a few other friends, a few ladies in our company settled for the very comfortable cabins while myself, a photo journalist from Kisumu and a couple of other guys rode at the open-back of the yacht enjoying the lovely view of Lake Victoria from this angle.
When we arrive at Camp Tom, mheshimiwa does not hesitate to warn us that the next time we will be coming to the island we will probably “pay an arm and a leg for it” and indeed when I set my eyes on the masterpiece that is this island resort I could not agree more with him – even if you had to borrow your neighbor’s arms and legs as well, it will definitely be worth it.
The resort sits on about five acres of raised land surrounded by deep blue water – free of the Kisumu Contamination. You can’t help but notice the lovely panoramic view and if you thought the sunset at Kiboko Bay or Dunga Hill Camp was awesome then you should see the sunset view from the island (I was just a little too tipsy to take a photo of that – we had an open bar so you know).
The resort is in it’s final completion stages and will be opening it’s doors to members of the public who can afford to treat themselves to this tranquility just before the December holiday season.
Adjacent to the resort is Maboko Island forest where antelopes, water bucks and other bush animals graze freely – maybe soon enough people will be allowed to hunt game meat and roast them at the resort! In the evening you will probably hear the beautiful sounds made by hippos as they graze on the shores of the resort.
There are crocodiles around the island so swimming in the lake is a very dangerous undertaking but the resort will have a fully functioning swimming pool upon completion.
I did not tell you that while at the party I ran into my colleague Yolanda Mulwa who was also a guest of the family.Yolanda noticed the above interesting but very useful signage that dot the resort’s entrance and exit sites.
From the island you can access other adjacent islands such as the Ndere Island National Park or ride on a yacht to any of the beach-front hotels in Kisumu.
Maboko Island Resort will have 15 cottages when complete and if you are already planning for your December get-away then think Maboko Island. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery away from the crowded hustle and bustle of the city – talk of literally coming in oneness with nature!
In the evenings or morning you can enjoy rides on the magnificent lake aboard the yacht, speed boat or canoe or maybe go on a fishing trip.
I don’t know about you but I think my mind is made up when it comes to my December holiday plan!
Here are a few bonus photos 🙂
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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF @YolandaMulwa & @MissKanyared
This post was also submitted for publication on Urban Radio Website
