Western Circuit · Great Rift Lakes
Longest, Second Deepest, Second Oldest
Lake Tanganyika stretches 673 km down the Albertine Rift, making it the longest freshwater lake in the world. It is also the second deepest at 1,470 m and among the oldest lakes on earth, which is why so much of what lives in it lives nowhere else.
More than 250 cichlid species have evolved here, most of them endemic, and the water is startlingly clear. The lake is also the thread that ties western Tanzania together — Gombe and Mahale both sit on its shore, and Kigoma is the gateway to both.
- The longest freshwater lake on earth, at 673 km
- Over 250 cichlid species, most found nowhere else
- The access route to both Gombe and Mahale
- Ujiji, where Stanley is said to have met Livingstone
Good to Know
Lake Tanganyika at a Glance
Wildlife You May Spot
Best Time to Visit
May to October, matching the dry season for chimp trekking at Gombe and Mahale.
Scale
673 km long and 1,470 m deep — it holds roughly 16% of the world’s available fresh water.
Cichlids
More than 250 species, the overwhelming majority endemic to this single lake.
Getting There
Fly to Kigoma from Dar es Salaam or Arusha; boats run from there along the shore.
- Cichlid Fish
- Otter
- Hippo
- Crocodile
- Fish Eagle
- Kingfisher
- Chimpanzee
- Water Cobra
- Terrapin
- Storks
Things to Do
On and Around the Water
Most visits combine lake time with chimpanzee trekking at Gombe or Mahale, travelling between them by boat along the shoreline.
- Boat transfers and sunset cruises along the shore
- Snorkelling and diving over the cichlid reefs
- Kayaking and swimming from empty pebble beaches
- Kigoma market and the historic settlement at Ujiji
The Heart of Western Tanzania
Lake, chimps and total isolation. Tell us how long you have and we’ll shape it.