Why is Mwanza called Rock City?

The city is built among enormous balancing granite boulders that dot the lakeshore and hills, the most famous being Bismarck Rock, which gives Mwanza its distinctive skyline and nickname.

Can I see chimpanzees near Mwanza?

Yes. Rubondo Island National Park, reached by boat or light aircraft, is home to around forty chimpanzees descended from a 1960s release, and offers tracking alongside birdwatching and fishing.

Is Mwanza a good base for the Serengeti?

Very much so. Mwanza is the main gateway to the western Serengeti, well positioned for the Grumeti river crossings of the Great Migration between roughly May and July.

How do I reach Mwanza?

Mwanza Airport (MWZ) has frequent domestic flights from Dar es Salaam and Arusha, and the city is also served by the central railway, long-distance buses and lake ferries.

Destination guide

Mwanza & Lake Victoria

Rock City on the shores of Africa's greatest lake

Who runs the region

Local & official

Administration

Regional capital: Mwanza
Districts: Nyamagana, Ilemela, Magu, Misungwi, Kwimba, Sengerema, Ukerewe, Buchosa
Regional Commissioner: Office of the Regional Commissioner, Mwanza
Regional Administrative Secretary: Mwanza Regional Secretariat

Useful contacts

National emergency: 112
Ambulance: 114