Africa’s Deepest & Breathtaking Great Lake
Where Mahale & Gombe Chimpanzees Meet Pristine Beaches and Ancient Rift Valley Landscapes
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is home to an extraordinary diversity of wildlife, including the famous Gombe and Mahale Mountains wild chimpanzees, along with a rich variety of mammals, birds, and butterflies. Formed within the Great African Rift Valley, it is widely regarded as Africa’s most beautiful Great Lake, with long stretches of untouched silver‑sand beaches backed by lush tropical forests and dramatic chimpanzee‑habitat mountains.
At 660 km long, Lake Tanganyika is the world’s longest freshwater lake, the deepest in Africa, and the second‑deepest on Earth, plunging more than 1,436 meters. It is also one of the largest lakes by volume and among the oldest, estimated at 9–13 million years.
Its age and ecological isolation have created a remarkable underwater world, including over 250 species of cichlids, 98% of which are endemic. These brightly colored fish make Lake Tanganyika one of the world’s most exceptional snorkeling and diving destinations.
Culturally, the lake’s eastern shores are home to numerous Bantu‑speaking communities whose origins trace back to the Congo River Basin. European exploration began in 1858 when Sir Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke reached Ujiji during their search for the Nile’s source. In 1871, Henry Morton Stanley famously met Dr. David Livingstone here. Today, important ports along the lake include Bujumbura (Burundi), Kalemie (DR Congo), Ujiji, and Kigoma (Tanzania).
What to do!
Historical tour at Jiweni Kamba, the old Kipili Church, the Church was built by the French White Fathers at the end of the 1800’s and is one of the oldest churches in Tanzania. It stands on the hill looking down onto Lake Tanganyika and the nearby islands “Kipili Monastery only remains of white sisters quarters”
Beach Holiday along the Lake Shore or Lupita Private Island
Culture tourism, village tour, Home stay experience
Fishing, Diving, Snorkeling, Boat and Canoeing Safari
Mountain Climbing and trekking, Birding Safari
Combine historical, Wildlife and beach Holiday
Getting there.
By scheduled flight from Arusha, Katavi, Ruaha or from Kigoma with a daily flight from Dar es Salaam airport or chartered flight from major cities Dar es Salaam Zanzibar, Arusha and Dodoma.
By road from Mbeya, Katavi, Kigoma, or Mpanda, but it can be rough, bump road and might be impenetrable, especially in the rainy season.
By speedboats or timber boats from Kigoma or by large steamship (MV Liemba) leaves Kigoma to Zambia, with numerous stops along the way, including one for Mahale, which is referred to as Lagosa- Mgambo, for park boat to Mahale.
Best time to Visit
Possible all year round,
Accommodations
The accommodation are quite limits in number of lodges and camps, very peaceful with sounds of silence, and sound rich of natural with helps to relax.
