Lake Tanganyika

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During the battles in the waters of the lake, the Germans were defeated. Their flagship cruiser “Graf von Goetzen” was attacked and sunk by Belgian aircraft.

Only in 1928 the ship was raised from the bottom of the Tanganyika and thoroughly repaired. Since then, this steamer under the new name Liemba has become a peaceful lake ferry. Surprisingly enough, the Liemba still plies the waters of Lake Tanganyika to this day. In 2023, the rare ship turned 110 years old. Local guides claim that the ship, riveted from sheets of good Krupp steel, is the oldest operating passenger steamer in the world.

Geography

Lake Tanganyika is located in a deep tectonic depression formed millions of years ago among the mountain ranges that rise in the heart of the African continent. It is the longest freshwater lake on the planet, stretching from north to south for 676 kilometers. At the same time, the body of water is relatively narrow, the distance from its western to eastern shores is from 16 to 70 kilometers. From space, the outline of the huge lake resembles the blade of a jagged curved sword.

Ichthyofauna of Tanganyika

The waters of Tanganyika are rich in a variety of fish. There are large spotted catfish and spiny eels, several species of bass, and a special species of sardines. On the hooks of fishermen falls a giant predator – tiger goliath fish, its weight reaches 70 kg. The only natural enemies of this fish are Nile crocodiles, which also live in the lake and the swampy estuaries of the rivers flowing into it.

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The mouth of the Ruzizi River has become notorious for its swampy delta of impenetrable rainforest. It has been home to a terrifying creature for decades – a huge Nile crocodile the length of a bus and weighing up to a ton. Rumor has it that the monster preys on people. The number of its probable victims reaches 200 people who have been missing since the 50s of the XX century. Residents of coastal villages are panic-stricken by this crocodile. The reptilian cannibal has become a legend and even got its own name. Local researcher Patrice Faye called the crocodile Gustav and made a documentary about him, telling about an attempt to lure the crocodile into a trap. But all plans to destroy or capture the monster ended in failure. In 2019, Travel Africa Magazine posted an article about traveling in Burundi, where it was reported that the crocodile was shot. The author of the article did not provide photographic evidence, so the conflicting rumors continue to scare the local population.

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Large turtles are found in Tanganyika, 2-meter striped water cobras live near the shores. These rare snakes feed exclusively on fish and amphibians and are able to hunt at depths of up to 25 meters.

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The warm waters of Tanganyika are home to up to 250 species of fun-loving cichlids, tiny colorful fish highly prized by aquarists. Many species of cichlids are found only here.

Fish are only found in Tanganyika up to a depth of 250 meters. Below this mark, the waters of the lake are saturated with hydrogen sulfide and deprived of oxygen – in such an aggressive environment can survive only bacterial colonies. Under the rocky bed of the lake there are volcanic processes that heat up the water. It is known that at a depth of 400 meters water temperature is stable +23.1 … +23.4 ° C.

The depths of the lake are not yet sufficiently explored. Every year previously unknown species of fish, mollusks, freshwater crabs and shrimps are discovered here.

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Climate and weather

Lake Tanganyika lies in a benign belt of the humid tropics. The annual cycle of air temperature fluctuations in the region is kept within +22…+28 °С, with maximum values reaching +30.2 °С. Very rarely there are short-term cooling to +15…+17 °С, caused by cool air streams descending from the mountains.

The season of heavy rains with thunderstorms lasts from October to April, at this time the wind is moderate. From the first days of May comes the time of strong winds from the south. Until the end of August the lake is stormy, in the water area often formed dangerous for navigation waves.

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Water temperature in the lake in August is +24…+26 ° C, in March and April Tanganyika warms up to +28…+29 ° C. According to travelers’ recommendations, it is best to visit the region from June to September.

Interesting places near the lake

The shores of Lake Tanganyika are home to famous national parks. Tourists are attracted by the Nsumbu and Gombe Stream reserves in Zambia, Mahale Mountains Park in Tanzania. In Burundi it is interesting to visit the Rusizi National Park, which is 15 km north of the city of Bujumbura, to visit the Ramsar wetlands, where crocodiles and hippos live.

From Bujumbura, you can head to the impressive waterfalls on the Karera River, where a turbulent mountain stream surges down five rocky steps. It’s worth considering that there foreign tourists are often waited on by “gamekeepers” who shamelessly charge 41,000 Burundian francs per person (about $20). They even hand travelers homemade tickets printed on a printer. But if a group of foreigners is accompanied by a local guide, the fee to see the natural wonder is immediately reduced to 5,000 francs ($2.5).

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Eleven kilometers upstream of Calambo is another impressive waterfall, Sancia. Its jets form 4 cascades with a total height of up to 30 meters. In 1953, scientists discovered near the waterfalls on the banks of the Calambo traces of one of the oldest archaeological cultures of primitive ancestors of people who lived here about 300,000 years ago.

Professional videotaping in national parks universally requires permission from local authorities and the payment of a fee. However, smartphones with cameras are not subject to the bans.

Tanganyika Beaches

The beaches on the long shores of Lake Tanganyika are mostly wild. All the coastal villages have charming bathing places, but no service other than village eateries exists there. However, the owners of the few coastal hotels have taken care to provide a comfortable beach vacation for their guests.

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For example, beaches with umbrellas and sunbeds can be found in the Tanzanian city of Kigoma. The public beach on the waterfront of Bujumbura, Burundi’s largest city, is well equipped. On the islands near the village of Kipili (Tanzania) there are private hotels with perfectly organized beaches and impeccable service.

Active vacations

Scuba diving is very popular among tourists vacationing on the shores of Tanganyika. Diving allows you to explore the unusually colorful underwater world of the African lake, lying near the equator. Its clear, warm waters are home to about 400 species of fish and other creatures, including turtles and crabs, sponges, clams and shrimps, two-thirds of which are endemics not found in any other body of water on the planet. The coastal bottom is dotted with boulders overgrown with colorful algae. In these underwater gardens it is especially interesting to observe flocks of cyclids, playing with all shades of rainbow. Such exotic fish you could see only in cramped aquariums, but here they live in a natural environment. That’s why Tanganyika is called the largest aquarium on Earth.

Local travel agencies offer motorboat rentals for trips to the numerous offshore islands where you can swim, fish and cook your catch over a fire, and if you want – sleep in a tent to meet a stunning sunrise. The average diving fee is $80 per person. The sum includes 1-2 dives, scuba diving and boat rental, transfer. Snorkeling on a remote beach with rental fins, mask and boat will cost about $ 40, some companies take payment and for the equipment of children under 16 years – $ 10.

On the eastern and northern shores of the lake directly to the water are mountains. Climbers ascend the cliffs to picturesque plateaus covered with tropical forests.

Souvenirs

The African countries surrounding Tanganyika are among the poorest nations in the world. There is often a shortage of basic necessities, so a visit to provincial stores and even duty free parlors at regional airports will fail to impress.

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The only large lakeside city is Burundi’s former capital Bujumbura, which has about one million inhabitants. In 2018, the city handed over the capital’s powers to Gitega, but continues to be a major center of commerce. The main avenue of Rwagasore is home to a teeming central market, and the surrounding streets are lined with stores with a wide range of goods. In Bujumbura, you will find souvenir stores and jewelry showrooms. Popular purchases include Burundian-style women’s jewelry, as well as various items and accessories woven from reeds, such as hats, bags, and baskets.

Local cuisine

Traditional East and West African dishes are common on the shores of Tanganyika. The main ingredients of the recipes are the prey of fishermen and hunters: lake and river fish, antelope meat. Pastoralists supplemented the diet with beef and goat meat, butter and milk.

Rwanda invented isombe, a delicacy stew made of chopped young cassava leaves, sweet peppers, onions and garlic. All this is boiled in a cauldron until the contents turn into a green paste. It is seasoned with spices, tomato juice and peanut flour. It is served with antelope meat chops.

In the late 19th century, the King of Uganda’s chef prepared delicious fried chicken in a ginger-walnut sauce. Today, this festive dish called Luwombo’s royal chicken is served in restaurants.

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A three-course lunch for two at hotel restaurants on the shores of Tanganyika costs from $20. A bottle of hard liquor costs from $10, imported wine (South African) from $19.

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The most common food in the taverns of coastal villages is isambaza. This is a slide of small fish fried in palm oil in a flour batter, seasoned with salt and hot pepper. The isambaza is accompanied by namungodi – crispy balls of rice and mashed potatoes fried in boiling oil, or a cob of fried corn. The cost of such a snack ranges from $1.5 to $2.

More expensive is the “TV chicken.” This is not the star of a cooking show, but an ordinary grilled chicken. “Television” it was nicknamed because street grill ovens with a transparent door look like televisions. Finished chicken is sold by weight, for about $5-7 per kg.

Markets and village bars offer crispy fried grasshoppers as a popular beer appetizer. They resemble pumpkin seeds in flavor. However, grasshoppers are only available in a certain season, from November through April.

Where to stay

On the shores of Lake Tanganyika there are no busy tourist centers with resort-oriented infrastructure. Several dozen small hotels with their own beaches are built along the long coast. Rooms should be booked in advance, the number of places is limited. Usually hotel owners require payment in cash. You can pay with local currency or dollars.

To get to remote hotels should be on the lake ferry, which runs rarely, and traveling by car can turn into a dangerous adventure: the road network here is not good. The level of service in many hotels leaves much to be desired, cell phone service is often poor, and there is often no signal in the Wi-Fi network.

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Comfortable campgrounds with restaurants are built in national parks, but they are only for tourists participating in multi-day excursions costing $800 and up.

The Tanganyika Blue Bay Resort is a popular choice amongst solo travelers to Burundi. It is located in the coastal village of Mugotora, which is 66 km north of Bujumbura airport. Nice bungalows in tropical style are built for vacationers. Each lodge has a spacious veranda facing Lake Tanganyika, with a sandy beach in the bay. There is a restaurant and a bar on the beach. Excursions to Kigwena Forest Nature Reserve (31 km) are available. Daily fee for accommodation – from 100 $.

There are 3 hotels in the port city of Kigoma, Tanzania. The best choice is the Sunset Vista Beach Hotel, located on the sandy shores of Tanganyika. It offers free parking, a garden pool, a restaurant overlooking the lake, and a bar. Boat trips, excursions to Gombe Stream National Park (29 km) are offered. Range of prices for accommodation – 45-65 $ per night, breakfast included. On the coast recently built another beach hotel – Coast View. Here for a night stay ask from 40 $. At the local airport is the Mama Muni Kigoma Guest House ($23-41).

Transportation

The road network on the shores of Tanganyika is unimportant and at times extreme. With few exceptions, there are no asphalted roads. You have to drive on dirt tracks, which are quite washed out by rains. Many parts of the mountainous eastern and northern shores of the lake are inaccessible for motor transport.

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A branch of the railroad line from Dar es Salaam, a port on the Indian Ocean, runs to the northeastern shore of Tanganyika. On the opposite, western shore of the lake, a branch of the railroad network of the Democratic Republic of Congo runs to the town of Kalemie. There is another railroad junction at the southern end of the lake, in the town of Mpulungu, Zambia.

A number of coastal villages have poorly equipped dirt airfields and small private airplanes fly there. The only international airport in the region is located off the northern shore of the lake, in Bujumbura, the former capital of the Republic of Burundi. Its runway is capable of handling Boeing-747-class intercontinental airliners.

The main transportation for crossing Lake Tanganyika is by private motorboats. At 14-day intervals, two dilapidated ferries ply the lake carrying passengers, cars, and commercial cargo. The ships leisurely cross the lake from north to south and back again. The voyage from Kigoma harbor (Tanzania) to the southern port of Mpulungu (Zambia) takes about 4 days. Another water route connects Kigoma with the port of Bujumbura (Burundi). Along the way, ships stop at many coastal villages. Berths are not arranged everywhere, and passengers disembark in the boats of locals who come aboard the ferries.

How to get there

Getting to Lake Tanganyika is convenient via Dar es Salaam International Airport in Tanzania. Here fly airliners from Zurich, Amsterdam, Istanbul. Here you can also transfer to a small domestic airplane flying to Kigoma, which is on the eastern coast of Tanganyika. The ticket price is from $110 and the flight lasts 2 hours and 20 minutes. Kigoma Regional Airport is located 6 kilometers northeast of the city. Cabs await passengers at the arrival terminal.

Dar es Salaam operates a train station. Trains to Kigoma depart twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays. The distance of 1,614 kilometers is covered in 27 hours.

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At the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika is the city of Bujumbura, Burundi. Its international airport is connected to Europe by a single flight from Brussels, operated by Brussels Airlines. Travel time is 8 hours 30 minutes and the ticket price starts from 779 €. You can also fly to Bujumbura from the airports of Nairobi (Kenya), Entebbe (Uganda), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).

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