Around Lake Victoria travel guide

Lake Victoria, bordered by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, is the largest freshwater lake in Africa and the second largest in the world after Lake Superior in North America. Occupying a shallow depression at an altitude of 1135 m, it covers 69,490 sq km, is the source of the White Nile and provides a livelihood for millions of people living around its shores not only in Tanzania but in Kenya and Uganda too. This area is a long way from the coast and transport links leave much to be desired. The road to Mwanza through central Tanzania is in a poor state, and better (albeit slow) access is by train, or by air (though services can be erratic) or by road through Kenya. Mwanza is a busy city, and surprisingly, given its location, the second largest in Tanzania, and there is much activity in exporting fish from Lake Victoria. It is the terminus of a branch of the central railway line from Dar es Salaam, and has trade links with nearby Kenya. Bukoba, on the west side of the lake, is in a very attractive setting. But none of these places feature high on the usual tourist itinerary, though the western section of the Serengeti National Park can be accessed from this region, and the most notable attraction on the lake is the Rubondo Island National Park.