Backpacking in Kenya: Crossing the Equator at Maseno

Posted: July 31 2023 | Tagged: Kenya
Whilst staying in Kisumu for a few days, I went and backpacked the Equator at Maseno. A hattrick of such a destination with 0 degrees Latitude.
The Equator is an imaginary line over 40,000km in length, that passes through 13 countries: Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Sao Tome & Principe, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Maldives, Indonesia and Kiribati. 

​Maseno, Kenya, 25km out of Kisumu is my 3rd time visiting the Equator, the point of 0 degrees Latitude. The dividing line between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. And is my second Kenyan Equator visit. There are 3 or 4 others that are quite accessible in Kenya.

The Equator at Maseno, Kenya, 00°00′00.00″ 34°36′05.69″E
Nomadic Backpacker backpacks the Equator at Maseno, Kenya:
I crossed from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere, multiple times:
I straddled the Equator:
​I drank a beer at the Maseno Equator Hotel and toasted my dad who would have been 83 the day I visited:
In 2014 whilst staying in Bukit Tinggi, Sumatra, Indonesia I visited Monumen Equator at Pasaman:
In 2016 as I travelled from Cairo to Cape Town I stopped in Nanyuki, Kenya. There, the line of 0 degrees latitude passes right by town. Nanyuki sits at 00°00′00.00″ 37°04′12.26″E:

How to get from Kisumu to Maseno:

You can take a matatu from the main bus station. The fare is 150 KSH. Coming back just flag down anything. The trick in Kenya is to know the price before you go. Overcharging is rife here.

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