Livingstone-Stanley Monument

A stone at Mugere south of Bujumbura marks the place where David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley are said to have spent two nights in November 1871, a fortnight after their meeting at Ujiji across the lake, while exploring the northern end of Lake Tanganyika to see whether it drained toward the Nile. It does not. The stone sits on a rise above the lake shore with the water below. The two men established that the Ruzizi flows into Tanganyika rather than out of it, which ruled the lake out as a Nile source.

What you actually see

• The inscribed stone - the marker recording the 1871 stay.
• The lake view - Tanganyika laid out below the rise.
• The Nile question - the expedition's purpose in coming up this shore.
• The setting - a quiet rise above the lakeside road.

When to go

June to September is the dry season. Late afternoon light over the lake is best. The rains from October make the road slower.

Honest expectations

It is a single stone and the visit takes minutes. The association is traditional rather than firmly documented. A fee is collected and there is little interpretation.

Nearby

Bujumbura is north, and Rumonge is south.