Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika lies along the border between Tanzania and Congo. The lake is 675km long, and has an average width of 50km. The lake has a depth of 1,435m and is therefore the second deepest lake in the world. The lake’s water is crystal clear and it has the reputation of being the cleanest lake in the world. The lake is known to be millions of year old and because of its age and isolation it is one of the most biologically rich lakes in the world and is home to over 500 species of fish (though it may well be over a 1,000) of which more than 90% are unique to Lake Tanganyika. To say the least, the beaches on the shores of Lake Tanganyika are all stunning, and snorkelling and diving is an attractive possibility in this age-old lake with it unique aquatic habitat. As Lake Tanganyika has a particular layer of soil on the bottom, which purifies the water naturally and makes the lake as clean as it is, there is no bilharzia in the lake like in other fresh water. Therefore the lake is safe to swim in, though around the beaches where the locals go to fish, bath, and wash clothes it might be more risky. One of the most beautiful beaches in the area is
Amani Beach, which is perfect for a day of relaxing and getting wet.
Katonga
The small fishing village of Katonga lies some 5 km from Kigoma centre and is easily reachable by daladala which frequently takes off from the railway station. In this authentic fishing village you can watch traditional fishing and you can see how the dagaa fish are being dried in the sun on the hills, which gives the hills an amazing silver appearance. At night, fishermen go on the lake with little wooden boats to catch the small dagaa fish and to consequently light up the lake with hundreds of small lights.
MV Liemba
The MV Liemba is the oldest ship in the world that is still running and was originally named Graf Von Goetzen. It was built in Germany in 1913 and the ship arrived in Kigoma in pieces, shipped from Dar Es Salaam by railway just before the outbreak of the First World War. During the early months of the war it carried some 700 soldiers to Kasanga, though it was done away with by the Germans in the mouth of River Malagarasi, to be certain that it would not fall into the hands of enemies. In 1927 however it was salvaged by the British and Belgians, who ruled the area after WWI. It was then renamed MV Liemba, as, according to Dr. Livingstone, Liemba was the local name for Lake Tanganyika. An often repeated story says that the MV Liemba has been the inspiration for the novel The African Queen and that it has even been used in the film version, though whether that is true or not it is still a fascinating ship.
The ship is now being used as main ferry on Lake Tanganyika. It makes a weekly round trip from Kigoma to Mpulungu in Zambia and back to Kigoma. The ferry also goes to the Mahale Mountains and numerous lakeshore villages, though to get off in smaller villages one has to take a smaller boat to reach the coast.
German remainders
On a hill halfway to Katonga are the remainders of some First World War German fortifications. The place intended for the 105mm naval gun that was taken from the MV Liemba is the most interesting one of the remains. When the Germans left Kigoma, the gun was carried away to be never found again. There are several bunkers, old ammunition stores and interconnecting channels. It is said that one of these channels runs from the regional commissioner’s office to the train station, though nobody knows all the precise details of this.
Ujijij town
The old town of Ujiji lies at some 7 km from Kigoma to the south and was for centuries the main port where salt from Uvinza (see below) was shipped to Congo. Around 1800 Arab traders took over the town and made it the lakeshore terminal of the most important slave and ivory route to Bagamoyo. Though the town is most famous for the meeting between the explorers Stanley and Dr Livingstone in 1871, when Stanley spoke the words “Dr Livingstone, I presume?” At that place, now the Dr Livingstone Memorial is situated and the Livingstone Museum is next to it. At the museum on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from 17:00-18:00 the Washirika Dance Troupe practises traditional Ha dance and everyone is free to watch the practices. Another interesting spot in Ujiji is the harbour, which is very close to the Livingstone Museum and Memorial. There you can watch the practices of traditional fishing.
Gombe Stream National Park
Gombe Stream is Tanzania’s smallest National Park and is famous for its chimpanzees and the world-famous research done by primatologist Jane Goodall. This park is one of the few places in the world where chimpanzees are able to be approached very closely, which makes it a unique experience. Besides chimpanzees, the park is home to many other primates, such as baboons, red-tailed and blue monkeys, and red colobus monkeys, and other wildlife. Since the rest camps are within the park borders, monkeys just walk around the accommodation and in the morning when waking up you will be greeted by baboons trying your door to steal your food.
The park entrance is $100 per 24 hours spend in the park as from the moment you enter the forest. Besides a $10 guide fee will be asked for per party of up to 5 people and a stay at the rest camp per night costs $20 per person. A new guesthouse will be opened at the end of July 2008, which is more exclusive and therefore will likely be more expensive to stay in. Food and drinks are not available at the rest camp, though it will be available in the new guesthouse. Currently one needs to bring food and drinks for themselves for the whole stay, though there is a woman at the park who sells drinks for Tsh1,000 and a simple Tanzanian meal for Tsh5,000.
Transport needs to be arranged by oneself as well. You can try to get a free lift at the Jane Goodall Insitute (on the way to Katonga) which regularly has boats going to and from Gombe to bring and pick up staff. Though there is no fixed time or day and therefore one can also take a boat taxi at Kibirizi (along the way past Nzimano Hotel) which leave everyday (except Sunday) between 13:00 and 14:00 and charge Tsh3,500 per person. These boats take about 3 hours to reach Gombe and on the way back the boats are at Gombe around 8:00. This means that one will most likely have to stay in the park for two nights if you want to go chimp tracking for a whole day.
Note that there are strict rules to be followed when going into the forest. If you are sick, you are not allowed in the park, as a small harmless cold to us might kill a whole family of chimpanzees. Also children under 15 are not allowed in the park for the safety and health of the animals.
More information about Gombe Stream, as well as Mahale Mountains (see section below), can be found on
www.tanzaniaparks.com.
Mahale Mountains National Park
The national park of Mahale Mountains lies some 100 km to the south of Kigoma. The park is some 30 times larger than Gombe and has a chimp population that is being estimated at about 800 animals. The Mahale Mountains National Park is considered as being a large-scale version of Gombe. The park is so large the chances of seeing chimpanzees is smaller than in Gombe, though one would be very unfortunate to not have seen at least one after two or three days in the park. Entrance fee to the park is $50 per 24 hours plus $20 per party for a guide and per party $20 fuel costs for the boat who brings you to the starting point of the hike. On top of that, one should take into consideration accommodation and food prices as well.
The park is reachable by ferry, though takes about 15 hours to reach the Mahale Mountains. One can also go by bus to Kalelani which is right outside the park entrance and where all park fees must be paid. Ten km from there is the tourist camp where accommodation is situated and which is the start of the chimp tracking. Mahale Mountains apply the same strict rules for chimp tracking as in Gombe Stream.
Katavi National Park
Katavi National Park is a beautiful park to observe wildlife in their natural habitat. Rarely visited by tourists, this park is the perfect destination for adventurous travellers. Many of the famous African animals can be found here, such as elephants, giraffes, lions, buffalos, hippos, and many more.
Katavi National Park is very well reachable from Kigoma. There are many daladalas going daily to Kasulu, and from Kasulu there is a direct bus to Mpanda, which leaves in the morning and arrives in Mpanda late in the afternoon. The bus goes on to Mpanda on Monday and Friday and back to Kasulu on Tuesday and Saturday. There are many
guesthouses in Kasulu to stay at for one night as to take the bus in the early morning. There is also a train going from Kigoma to Mpanda, but you have to switch trains in Tabora.
There are daily daladalas going to Sitalike, a village at the entrance of the park. The fee for 24 hours in the park is $20 per person for non-residents and a guide fee is $10. One can hire a park vehicle to go into the park, but hiking is also allowed in some parts of the park. Another option is to try to arrange transport in Mpanda for the day, by hiring e.g. a 4x4 daladala to drive you around in the park. This may be cheaper, but requires Kiswahili knowledge.
Moyowosi Game Reserve
Moyowosi is a game reserve situated near Kibondo in the Kigoma Region. The game reserve has a surface of more than 10,000 km2 and therefore comprises a huge ecosystem. In the game reserve you can find many big African animals, such as the elephant, the giraffe, the buffalo, the lion, and many more. So to enjoy African wildlife you can find it all in Kigoma region!
River Malagarasi
The river of Malagarasi is the largest river in the area which originates near the border of Burundi. It is surrounded by beautiful indigenous forests and has numerous waterfalls spread over the whole river. At the mouth of the river hippos and crocodiles can be seen regularly.
Uvinza’s salt springs and Salt Factory
The name Uvinza means ‘place of salt’ and is situated along the central railway between Kigoma and Tabora. In the town of Uvinza a salt mine is situated which has been in operation for over 1,500 years. The salt used to be transported via Ujiji to what currently is the Democratic Republic of Congo and is the only salt reserve in the region of Kigoma. Nowadays Uvinza has a salt factory which supplies the whole region with salt.
