Travelers discover Tanzania’s hidden gem

Even for East Africans, Mwanza has an exotic ring to its name, and more often than not, geography classes at school notwithstanding, some would place Tanzania’s lake-side city somewhere else, on Lake Tanganyika perhaps or not even inside Tanzania. Thankfully, the pilots of the airlines flying there know their bearings, and they safely deliver their passengers to the Tanzanian shores of Lake Victoria and to a city which is now a growing springboard for tourists, too, intent to explore the lake islands and even the famous Serengeti, only a two-hour drive away.

But first things first. Mwanza was founded as early as 1892, and this year celebrates its 124th anniversary, no mean achievement for a city in East Africa, when Nairobi was only founded in 1899, i.e., 7 years later. With a total population, again unbeknownst to many, of over 2 million inhabitants, this makes it Tanzania’s second city after Dar es Salaam, not the political capital Dodoma, or the East African safari capital, Arusha, but Mwanza claiming that honor.

Mwanza’s city center and suburbs

Main economic activities are, no surprise here, the fishing and processing industry. Eastern and Central Africa’s largest fish market, Kirumba, is found in the city and of course the mainstay of it all, due to the good soils and favorable climate, is agriculture. Mining has become an important factor in the wider region around Mwanza, where with the international airport a key link to the outside world exists. Mwanza is also a major transport transit point for the central corridor railway, connecting the Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam via Mwanza by rail ferry to Port Bell outside Kampala, which brings employment and money into the community.

And finally tourism, at last, seems to be catching up, too, after the lake zone complained about not getting a fair share of attention by the country’s tourism marketers, in spite of some world-class attractions within reach just two hours after landing in Mwanza.

It is the latter we shall focus on, leaving descriptions and explanations of the other economic mainstream activities to the business journals while letting our imagination roam across the lake to the various islands and as far as the Serengeti National Park, less than a two hours’ drive from the city via the town of Lamadi. The nearest lodge inside the park can arrange for pick up and drop off from Mwanza on request by road while Auric Air flies scheduled services from Mwanza to Serengeti, the nearest airstrip being the Grumeti field.

A sight closely associated with Mwanza, if not a feature of the city, are slightly off shore in the lake – the so called Bismarck Rocks found, named after the most famous German Chancellor in the days prior to the World Wars. Bismarck is known to have organized the now notorious Berlin Conference, which divided Africa and Africans into colonial possessions and created boundaries over which modern African countries until today still are in dispute. And there goes some pre-independence history lesson as 100 years ago Tanganyika, as the mainland then was called, indeed was a colony of Imperial Germany, only ceded to the British after the German navy was decisively engaged and destroyed at both the Rufiji River delta with the Koenigsberg and on Lake Tanganyika with the Graf von Goetzen, history lessons sure to re-emerge again in future articles about Tanzania and neighboring Kenya.

Bismarck rocks, a major feature off the Mwanza shoreline

But these massive rock formations are not just found off shore but also scattered around on land – huge boulders of rocks, a sight incidentally also found in the Serengeti where these rock outcrops, which look as if they have just escaped the earth, are called Kopjes. Much myth and much history are attributed to some of those rocks by the African tribes which lived on the lake shores for time immemorial, since this part of Eastern Africa was long proven to be the cradle of mankind from which modern man evolved.

A view across Mwanza municipality from the surrounding hills

Some of them seem precariously shaky, as if put together by children of giants playing as with pebbles, and are much photographed of course as evidence that truly one has been to Mwanza. Local guides will be happy to take visitors to such locations, proud to show them around, providing a constant flow of information and details about the city, her people, and the great many things he feels every visitor should do when coming to Mwanza and the places there are to visit – no, MUST – be visited.

Do not come near me during a storm

And here are some of the activities tourist visitors can expect to be on offer, through the concierge at their hotel or when visiting some of the tour and safari operator offices in the city.

Fishing for tilapia or the giant Nile Perch on the lake – tick.

A visit to Saanane Island National Park, half an hour from Mwanza by boat into the lake – tick.

A trip to the Ukerere Island to see the Dancing Rocks, where only men are allowed to visit – tick.

The Bukora Sukuma Museum where dancers often perform with pythons writhing in their hands and which shows what life was in long gone days – tick.

And of course the big one, a trip into the Grumeti sector of the Serengeti, just over a two hours’ drive from Mwanza, one of the world’s most renowned names in wildlife conservation, that also can be arranged at short notice, either as a classic camping safari or staying in one of the top of the pops lodges and tented camps established in that part of the Serengeti – tick.

Notably can along the way, in the lakeside town of Lamadi, a local Albino Orphanage may be visited where dozens of these children are offered a safe home environment, schooling, and most important an extended family. The orphanage is always most grateful for material support to further expand and provide even better facilities for these children.

Hotels of various standards are now found aplenty in and around Mwanza, from simple, affordable guest houses to the more fancied four-star hotels or beach resorts. A number of these places can be found via TripAdvisor, Google, or on local destination guides, suiting anyone’s budget and fancies. While in Mwanza, I personally would recommend a place directly at the lake of course, after all the main geographical feature of the city, and there is magic in the sunsets across the water, which extends from horizon to horizon. Restaurants have sprung up all over the city now, admittedly not as ethnically varied as say in Nairobi, but worth eating out nevertheless. Pizzas Indian curries, classic African dishes, and vegetarian fare can all be enjoyed, and of course guests in hotels and the lake resorts have a choice of snacks, a la carte dishes and buffets, popular for lunch and on weekends for dinner.

And there are more history lessons in store, as the remnant of the Hangman Tree is now a treasured site, which in the colonial days the scene where the rulers hanged condemned prisoners and criminals, as we know today often for the minutest of crimes. But it is part of history nevertheless of course and a monument for visitors to see and stand in contemplation.

A number of other sites are also still found in Mwanza of those long gone days a hundred plus years ago, like Dr. Koch’s residence which allows for sweeping views across the city of Mwanza from the hills.

And there is the memorial to see and pay respect to of the victims of the MV Bukoba sinking a few years ago, when hundreds drowned as the vessel went down, also now part of the Mwanza history as the marine disaster which took place within sight of the city of Mwanza.

Treasured remnant of the Hangman Tree site of executions during the German colonial days

Mwanza for sure does not have the magnetic pull of a Mombasa or a Dar es Salaam, but it goes to show that there are hidden treasures found in Eastern Africa. Any city with more than 2 million inhabitants in our region is BIG and that means business opportunities wait to be explored, investments to be made.

As Tanzania is a member of the East African Community, travel to and from is relatively easy. East African and South African citizens need no visa, and while expatriates living in the region are required to pay a US$50 visa fee on entry, this is simply an entrance fee, swiftly processed at the airport. The same applies for tourists from abroad, they simply pay their visa fee and can then enjoy their visit.

It is hoped, however, that Tanzania will soon join the NCIP zone with a common tourist visa for the member countries and accept expatriate travel through interstate passes to increase visitor numbers overall.

The business community in Mwanza, the hotels, resorts, and the tour operators are keen to see regional visitors come over and connect with Tanzania, and they hope that plenty of them will make the trip in the future, for both business and leisure.

In fact, the option still exists from Uganda to use the rail ferries and cross from Port Bell to Mwanza port by lake, while air connections route via Dar es Salaam or Kilimanjaro by Fastjet, Precision Air, Air Tanzania, and Auric Air.

Said Mr. Asif Jawad, who was extremely helpful in the research for this article and who is passionate about opening the Mwanza area up for more tourists: “Mwanza is ready to welcome visitors coming to explore our part of Tanzania which has so much to offer and still receives so few visitors. There is so much to do, so many opportunities in our city for business and for leisure, let people come and see for themselves.”

What else now is left? Oh yes, go visit your nearest travel agent or book your flight to Mwanza online with the airline of our choice and contact a local travel agent or safari operator (TATO members can be identified through their association office in Arusha) before arrival to be sure of a meet and greet service, transfer to a hotel of your choice, and plenty of excursions and safaris to choose from.

Mwanza is accessible by air from Dar es Salaam five times a day with Fastjet although other airlines also operate on the same route while flights from the region, i.e., from Kenya or Rwanda, have for the time being been suspended.