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The most interesting sight in the area is the 95-acre/38-hectare outdoor zoo on Saa Nane Island, which, if you aren't seeing the game parks, will give you a decent sampling of what you've missed. 530 mi/850 km northwest of Dar es Salaam.

 

Airport Information:

Mwanza Airport Tel: +255 28 2560067

The airport is only 20 kms from the city centre. Transport to the city is available through shuttle buses and taxis. For travelling to Mwanza, Air Tanzania Corporation has daily flights from Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro International Airports. Also Presicion Air Fly and Eagle Air via Kilimanjaro.

 

Banks and Bureaux:

Banks include National Bank of Commerce on Liberty street and Standard Chartered on Kenyatta road. Bank business hours are between 8am to 5pm and most are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.

There are bureaux de change in the tourist class hotels which are open throughout the week, business hours vary from one hotel to another. Other bureaux include DBK on Bantu Street and Zeid on Post Road.

 

Getting Around:

Bus:

Daladalas to suburbs north of Mwanza leave from the bus stand near the clock tower. Transport to Nyakato Kissesa and other destinations along the Musoma Rd. leave from Bugando Hill bus stand near the Aga Khan.

 

 

Restaurants:

There are a variety of local and international food restaurants. Most hotels serve both local and international cuisine.

Szechuan Mahal Restaurant, Tel: +255 741 530786 serves Chinese Cuisine.

Tilapia Hotel, Tel: +255 28 2500517 on the east side of Capri Point, whose restaurant overlooks the Lake Victoria.

Sitar Restaurant north of Nyerere Rd. near the footbridge.

The New Mwanza Hotel, New Park Hotel (Uhuru street)

The Barbecue House (Bugando Hill) and out at the Yacht Club.

There are a few restaurants and cafes such as Kidepo Grill, Blue Cafe, Nile Cafe (located at the City Center), Salma Cone (Bantu st) and Kuleana Pizzeria (Post road) which not only serves good food but is also involved in a programme to help street children.

 

The Nile leaves Lake Victoria at Owen Falls Dam. The British-built Owen Falls Dam supplies an important portion of Uganda’s electrical power. The river, called the Victoria Nile at this point, then widens to form Lake Kyoga, collects the Kafu River flowing from the west, and proceeds north into Lake Albert. On its continuing route to the Sudan border, the river is called the Albert Nile.

 

We found Tanzania's largest town on Lake Victoria (pop. 225,000) to be a rather unpleasant place. Currently, accommodations are difficult to find because most are taken up by U.N. officials (Mwanza is the headquarters of the U.N.'s relief efforts for Rwandan refugees). The city is on the shores of Lake Victoria, and you can relax on the beach (but don't even step in the water).

Rock formations adorn Lake Victoria near the town of Mwanza on the lake’s southeast shore. At 69,490 square kilometres (26,830 square miles), Lake Victoria is the world’s second largest body of fresh water. The lake is adjacent to the semi-arid plains of northwest Tanzania and extends north into Uganda and Kenya.

 

Ferries travel from Mwanza, Tanzania’s most important port on Lake Victoria, to the Tanzanian ports of Bukoba and Musoma, occasionally venturing further north to Uganda.