Ruma National Park is the only Terestial Park in the entire Nyanza Province. The Park covers an area of 120 square kilometers. It was initially established as the Lambwe Valley Game Reserve in 1966 to protect its indigenous population of rare roan antelopes which exist nowhere else in Kenya. In 1983 it was gazetted as a National Park. The climate is hot and humid, mean annual rainfall is 1200 – 1600mm.
It was renamed “Ruma” upon request of the local community. The area had been so named by one of Kenya’s most powerful wizard, the much feared Gor Mahia who lived around the park. The park is largely of black cotton soil with surrounding area settled with a mix of small scale cultivation and grassy pasture land.
The Park lies in Western Kenya close to the shores of Africa’s largest inland lake, Lake Victoria. It is situated in Lambwe Valley in South Nyanza, 140 km from Kisumu, 10 km east of Lake Victoria and South West of Homa Bay and 425 km west of Nairobi.
It lies on the flat floor of the Lambwe Valley, bordered by the kanyamwa escarpment to the south east, Gwasi Hills, Suba hills and Ruri hills to the north.
Ruma National Park can be accessed from Kisumu via Homa Bay. The main gate Kamato is 42 km from Homa Bay. The park can also be accessed from Kisii via Rongo to Rodi kopany branching off to the left. The distance from Kisii is 65km. One can also access the Park from Kisumu via Lwanda K’otieno from Lwanda K’otieno take ferry to Mbita then drive 20 km to Nyatoto Gate.
Major attractions
- Wildlife:
- Roan antelope which is found nowhere else in the country.
- leopard, buffalo, hyena, Rothschild giraffe, oribi, Jackson and lelwel hartebeest, impala, bohor reedbuck, serval cat, topi, baboons, vervet monkey, honey badgers, bush pig and many more
.
-
- Birds – The Park is an IBA area with over 400 species of birds recorded. It is renowned amongst ornithologists for its rare intra – African migrant, the blue swallow.
-
- The Park provides an unspoiled world for game lovers, bird watchers, tranquility and peace for meditation, historians, campers, team building, picnic, sundowners and scenic beauty.
Activities
- Game viewing,
- bird watching,
- picnic,
- camping,
- team building,
- meditation,
- sight seeing,
- sundowner.