OSIRI BEACH RESORT AND ADVENTURES

Osiri Beach Resort

The rapture of nature and culture

AT A GLANCE

Osiri Beach Resort and Adventures offers: accommodation, leisure, retreats, adventures, heritage, nature, educational experiences, conference, wedding and camping facilities.

The accommodation is offered in scenic cottages and bandas, all of which are surrounded by beautiful flower gardens and orchards. All rooms, situated on the hill(side) and beach, have commanding view of Lake Victoria and Mt Huma. Indeed one can watch the Lake from the bed.

LOCATION

Situated six kilometres north-east of Homa Bay town, Osiri Beach Village is easily accessible by road along C19, the road that runs north-eastwards from Homa Bay town to Kendu Bay and joins the A1 Kisumu road at Katito township. It can also be accessed by water and can be the starting point of thrilling trips to national parks, islands and various cultural heritage sites in Western Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Uniquely sitting on the shores and a hill on Lake Victoria, it is bordered by rivers and hills and thus is an ecological paradise.

It overlooks the whole Winam Gulf, the islands, the plains and hills, Mount Huma, and some of the highest peaks on Lake Victoria. A viewing hut on top of the hill provides a panoramic view of the Lake and the famous golden sunset on its waters.

THE JEWEL OF LAKE VICTORIA

Built on the shores of Lake Victoria, the largest Lake in Africa and second largest in the world, Osiri Beach Resort is ideal for research and educational residence, home stays, leisure accommodation, camping, retreats and adventures. The complex consists of self-contained rooms in cottages and bandas, conference halls, bar, dining area, a shop, camping tents and canoes on the Lake.

There are limitless opportunities for guests with research, cultural, sports and leisure interests. This is why: Lake Victoria is one ecological, commercial and tourist potential that is yet to be explored. (Pic of Lake Victoria waiting to be exploited from Osiri)

NATURE, MAGIC AND MYTH

Surrounded by the Lake, hills and rivers, Osiri Beach Village is an ecological phenomenon that is the dream of anyone who loves nature.

Legend, supported by facts, has it that Osiri was the residence of magicians who made it a garden for their potent plants and location of their unique architecture. They built homes, made patterns on the ground with stones and left behind a variety of flora and fauna and ruins that can still be seen today.

BE PART OF THE PROPHESY

When the famous Luo hero, Gor Mahia, travelld around Lake Victoria, he made a prophesy about Osiri:

Oh, the beach was terrible!

Giant crocodiles and monitor lizards,

The lukwata diving from Osiri headland to the deeps…

Gor said, ’One day,

Something big will happen here.’

--The Epic of Gor Mahia, by Adrian Onyando

Come to the hotel and be taken on a guided tour of this magical place. Be part of the big thing. (Pic of sunbathing girls in canoe)

OSIRI BEACH BOTANIC GARDEN

Osiri Beach Botanic Garden is one proud part of Osiri Beach Village. It stretches from the Osiri Hill, the hill of the magicians, to the beach, which hosted the legendary extinct ancient lukwata beasts.

As a place where only magicians used to reside, the garden is home to medicinal plants and rare, unclassified tree and animal species that are endemic to Osiri (i.e. they grow naturally only in Osiri and may be found nowhere else).

OSIRI BEACH HERITAGE SITES

The Garden is home to heritage site on Osiri Hill, with ruins of walls, enclosures and rock arts that were made by ancient people. This heritage site is not yet studied and may hold some secrets.

Elsewhere, around Osiri, there are various archeological sites—this area is the home to the first humans and human-like creatures!—at the foot of Mt Huma, Rusinga and Mfangano Islands and Thim Lich Ohinga great walls!

Archeologists and historians are highly encouraged to come and have a look.

BIRD-WATCHING PARADISE

Birds are the wealth of Osiri: birds of the river and birds of the Lake; birds of the plains and birds of the hills; birds of the wetlands and birds of the drylands; birds of the lowlands and birds of the highlands, all in a space of one kilometre square! Kenya is home to 1089 species (12% of the worlds’ bird species count). We believe Osiri, because of its unique location, could have more bird-species, some of which are unclassified. No wonder that some guests at Osiri Village Hotel have reported seeing over 200 species of birds within hours right from their bedrooms!

Various bird-species are found here and can be watched from any point, even from the rooms. The Osiri parrots (ngili), intelligent, loving and using their feet like the humans use their hands, are a beauty to behold. The majestic fish eagles, the greedy hammerkops, the unique turacos and go-away birds, the pied and malachite kingfishers, the sleeping nightjars, the fierce plovers, the crested hawk-eagles and many, many other unique birds are abundant in Osiri Beach Village and its environs. Blue swallows are only found here and in Ruma National Park (25 kilometres away) especially in the months of November and December. Even flamingoes do make frequent visits to the wetlands around Osiri.

Osiri Beach Village Hotel compound is one eco-friendly area which many birds have made their residence. Paradise flycatchers, robin chats, superb starlings, go-away birds, wagtails, weavers, red-and-black barbets, bulbuls, kites, kingfishers, swallows, love birds, hammerkops, woodpeckers, owls, cisticolas, firefinches, coucals, bee-eaters, ibises and many other birds have claimed the compound for their own. Osiri is indeed a bird watcher’s paradise on Lake Victoria.

FLOWERS EVERYWHERE

Indigenous flowers in great diversity are found here on the Lake shore, on the hills, the rivers and the plains. The dominant colour is yellow, but orange, pink and purple also compete for attention. Some flowers have unique features, like folding when touched, (mimosa-type bush); some bloom only in the evening or in the morning, and yet the Osiri flower is ever smiling, day and night, in all seasons. It is said to have been planted by magicians as a cure-for-all herb.

These natural potentials are ready to be exploited by scientists, such as medical researchers, environmentalists, botanists and zoologists, and cultural students interested in magic, folklore and the arts.

Osiri Beach Village invites scientists, archeologists, aestheticians, artists and cultural scholars on the discovery path to come for a lifetime experience. (Pic of flower)

INSPIRATION! INSPIRATION!

‘I came here at night and in the morning I woke to the music of the birds. I drew the curtain of my window! What a sight! The Lake, the mountains, the plains and beaches…I’ll never forget!’ –a guest.

‘I first visited this place during a leisure walk around the shores of Lake Victoria. My heart remained here. I knew I JUST HAD TO COME BACK!’-another guest.

How far must you go to find real inspiration? Not farther that the Osiri Beach Village. Only the singing of birds and the stunning beauty of the Lake and landscape may be a distraction. The tree shades and rocks are shrines where artists get inspiration to compose songs, tell stories or choreograph. There is even an Inspiration Tree there!

THE INSPIRATION TREE

Legend has it that the sages, inventors, artists would gather under this tree and do their trade there. The reason is that this tree inspires. Situated on top of the Osiri Hill, it has a vast canopy under which the breeze caresses the sojourner with a magical feel. The place is one of the most scenic and can be very quiet. One foremost Kenyan author has a testimony about it. Adrian Onyando, says that his moving novel, Heart of Wilderness, was inspired under this tree.

THE ADVENTURES

Fishing on the beaches or inside the Lake is offered, and so are the Safaris—including Lake Victoria canoeing—across or around the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria.

Nature walks, picnics, mountain climbing, canoeing, cultural festivals and tours in the nearby villages are special activities at the hotel.

The Osiri Hill, scenic and towering above other equally scenic landscapes, naturally suggests itself as a place of adventure. Perhaps that is why it has attracted so much attention.

FILM LOCATION

In the early 70s, some white men arrived at Osiri hill with powerful recording machines and cameras. They quickly engaged the people of Osiri in what turned out to be a film shooting. Donkeys were mounted, people ran helter skelter and bushes were flattened. Unfortunately, the people of Osiri were not shown the film, nor were they given the identity of these film makers. But the fact is that the Osiri landscape and people are somewhere in some old film, and it will not be long for Osiri to be back again in some blockbuster. The reason is that a group of Kenyans in Scandinavia, in conjunction with locals have identified Osiri as the site for a university. The Global Bay University has had its vision unveiled at Osiri in 2010. It will, among other courses, offer film studies. (Pic: launching Global Bay University)

THE BEACHES, FISHING AND WATER SPORTS

The beaches are host to rare species of water plants and birds, reptiles, otters, hippos and occasional spotted crocodiles. A canoe tour of the beaches at any time will always yield satisfying sights and sounds.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBING

Climbing hills and mountains is always an unavoidable experience. It starts with the Osiri and nearby hills and culminates in Mount Huma. Rising to 1750 metres above sea-level, the mountain is a good observation point from where to see the whole western Kenya region. Moreover, its hot springs—hot enough to cook eggs—are always a sight to behold. At its foot is the Kanjira archeological site and nearby is the mythical Simbi Nyaima crater lake, home to flamingoes and other water birds.

NATURE TRAILS ALONG WATER CHANNELS

There are guides and sages to take the guests around at affordable prices on foot or boat or in hired vehicles. There are nature trails, on the hills and along the beaches. Uniquely Osirian is the nature trail along water channels.

Either, you can relax and watch the special Osiri Beach adventures and traditional water sports. Or you can get involved.

THE FESTIVALS

Tugo—The Osiri Beach Festival, was officially be opened on 19^th December 2008 by Her Excellency Elisabeth Jacobsen, the then Royal Norwegian Ambassador to Kenya. Since then, it has been quite a unique affair featuring traditional (forgotten) sports, performances and drama, discussions and exhibitions as well as artist delegations from all districts in Kenya. Usually held in late December, this is the only festival in Kenya and probably in Africa that revives and showcases traditional African sports like swimming with hippos, the Luo nyange, adhulo, orujre, dhap nam and performances like the creation procession and dance. Tours of the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria (including a visit to the Ruma Natinal Park and Obama’s Kogelo Village) are available at any time, but must be prearranged with Osiri Beach Village Hotel. We strongly urge you to go and see at least some of the events.

CULTURE AND SPORTS

At any other time, culture and sports is a specialty of Osiri Beach Village. Special offers include the Luo dances and songs, tero buru, drama, customs, arts and crafts, the story-time in the famous Story Museum on the hill.

Students of culture, like anthropologists, folklorists and oral literature scholars have always made Osiri Beach their home.

Sporting activities, such as boat racing and fishing are offered.

Visits to the Ruma National Park (25 km away, home to the rare Rhone antelope), the mythical Simbi Nyaima crater lake and home to flamingoes (16 km away), the Mount Huma and its hot springs (10 km away), Koguta swamp (15 km away, home to rare sitatunga) and to any of the many Lake Victoria islands, like the famous Rusinga Island (Proconsul heseloni, the 5-million year old ape) and Mfangano Island (home to rock arts) can be arranged.

REAL CHARITY

It might help to note that Osiri Beach Village Hotel supports several charity organizations, notably Osiri Beach Education and Career Forum, a local community-based organization, and Education Help Foundation, an international NGO. The hotel houses the offices of the charity organizations and hosts several charitable functions. Guests may choose to get involved in these functions and be engaged with the villagers. But in many cases, coming to Osiri Beach Village Hotel is an altruistic journey in itself, as the hotel shares its proceeds with the charity organizations.

REAL HAPPINESS AND HEALTH!

Some of our guests have experienced relief and cures for ailments like depression, arthritis, diabetes, obesity and chronic pain. Could it be that the magic of Osiri is still potent? Well, that’s neither here nor there, but studies carried out by experts have revealed that places like Osiri with their offers of camping, wonderful nature and landscapes combined with exercises are curative of stress, anti-social behavior, lifestyle diseases, fatigue etc. Ailing or broken relationships can be mended, teams can be built and all types of health benefits can be reaped at Osiri Beach Village. In other words, guests at Osiri Beach Village Hotel can be assured of happiness, bonding, peace and tranquility.

Enquiries at: osiribeach@gmail.com or osiribeachhotel@gmail.com; addyonyando@yahoo.com; adrianonyando@gmail.com.

Cellphone: +254722690603