Ndere Island is a small island (4.2 km2 or 1.6 sq mi) in Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria in Kenya. It was gazetted as the Ndere Island National Reserve in November 1986 and has since that time been uninhabited.
Located on Lake Victoria, this island is a haven for birds. Covered mostly in grassland, Ndere Island provides beautiful scenic views of the Homa hills to the south, Mageta Island to the east, and the glimpses of Kampala in Uganda beyond the southwest horizon. The lakeshore supports a wide variety of animals including hippos, monitor lizards, Nile crocodiles, several fish species, snakes, baboons, impalas, the rare sitatunga antelopes, waterbucks, zebras, and warthogs. Over 100 different species of birds can be seen here including African fish eagles, black-headed gonoleks and grey-headed kingfishers.
Gazetted as a national park in 1986, this 4.2-sq-km island has never seen tourism take off. It is forested and very beautiful, housing a variety of bird species, plus occasionally sighted hippos, impalas (introduced) and spotted crocodiles, a lesser-known cousin of the larger Nile crocodiles.
Vegetation: Ndere Island National Park
There’s nowhere to stay and, although twice-daily matatus reach the shore just opposite the island, your only reliable option to get to Ndere is with chartered boats. Chartered boat trips can be arranged with any of the boat captains offering sightseeing trips from Hippo Point.