Destination guide

Kigoma

Lake Tanganyika's port of chimps and explorers

Kigoma is a sleepy but historic port on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, the longest and second-deepest freshwater lake on Earth. Terminus of the central railway and gateway to two of Africa's finest chimpanzee parks, Gombe and the Mahale Mountains, it is a place where history and wilderness meet. Just down the shore lies Ujiji, where Henry Morton Stanley uttered the immortal greeting to a missing Dr Livingstone. Palm-lined and unhurried, Kigoma rewards travellers with clear turquoise water, dhows on the horizon and some of the best primate encounters in the world.

By the numbers

World's longest

Lake Tanganyika

and 2nd-deepest lake on Earth

~1,470 m

Depth

second only to Lake Baikal

1871

Ujiji meeting

Stanley finds Livingstone

Since 1960

Goodall study

Gombe chimpanzee research

Launched 1913

MV Liemba

historic lake steamer still sailing

TKQ

Airport code

Kigoma Airport

Best time to visit

The dry season from May to October is the prime time to visit, offering the best chimpanzee tracking in Gombe and Mahale and the most reliable lake and road travel. Chimps are often easier to find lower on the forested slopes early and late in the dry months, while the wet season from November to April brings lush greenery, warm water and quieter parks.

Common questions

Two of Africa's finest chimp parks lie on Lake Tanganyika near Kigoma: Gombe National Park, of Jane Goodall fame, and the wilder, more remote Mahale Mountains, both reached by boat or light aircraft.

In 1871 the journalist Henry Morton Stanley found the missing explorer Dr David Livingstone at Ujiji, reportedly greeting him with 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?' A memorial and museum mark the spot today.

Lake Tanganyika is the world's longest freshwater lake at around 660 km and the second-deepest at roughly 1,470 m, home to hundreds of endemic fish species.

Kigoma Airport (TKQ) has domestic flights from Dar es Salaam and Arusha, and the town is also served by the Central Railway, long-distance buses and the MV Liemba lake ferry.