Mfangano has had a busy month, we began with our first ever cycle challenge where we welcomed guests from all across Kenya. Everyone gathered at Mfangano for a weekend of mountain biking and island relaxing. Manager Thor reccyed out a 36km cycle route across the island with a harder option for serious riders and easier route for the cruisers. Great fun was had by all and we are certain to repeat the event this year.
For the rest of the month we welcomed guests from across the world. The camp is looking particularly beautiful at the moment. The gardens are lush and green, cormorants cruise just above the water level, stopping on the giant boulders at the shore line. African fish eagles call from the giant fig trees at the lake shore, kingfishers and egrets fish in the shallows and hammerkops wade where the waves crash on the shore. We have had lovely sightings of the resident otter family swimming past the camp and monitor lizards sunning themselves on the rocks.
Guests have had some great fishing with one young guest coming all the way to Mfangano to follow in his hero Robson Green’s footsteps who had also fished on Lake Victoria although not at Mfangano. Our young guest was particularly pleased as he managed to land a 10kg Nile Perch whilst his hero only managed an 8kg! They also fished for Tilapia from the rocks and the end of the jetty.
Our permaculture gardens are going from strength to strength we now have a wormery and compost heaps producing plenty of great compost for the gardens. Moringa, lemon, banana and avocado trees, we grow pumpkins, kale, radishes, passion fruits, brocolli, tomatoes, beans, aubergines, chillis, chia seeds, celery, aloes, sweet potatoes, arrowroot, cassava, strawberries, lemongrass, ginger, coriander, mint, rocket, lettuce oregano, cucumbers and rosemary to name a few. All of this supplies our camp kitchens where together with fish caught fresh from the lake (hopefully by our guests) our chefs turn out delicious three course meals. Our permaculture gardens also include a tilapia fish farm where we are growing tilapia and demonstrating to the community that they can also farm their own fish instead of relying on Lake’s stocks and our chickens are growing and should soon be producing eggs for the camp too.
Guests have been enjoying the new family suite and the swimming pool which is a wonderful place to cool off after hike to see the ancient rock art.
Fly 540 now has direct flights to Homa Bay with great rates, this makes accessing Mfangano much easier as Homa Bay is a short taxi ride from Mbita Point where we collect guests by boat and bring them to Mfangano Island.
We are looking forward to 2018 and all that it brings and we welcome you to share this magical island with us.