Lake Tanganyika at Kalemie

Tanganyika is the second-deepest lake on earth after Baikal and the longest freshwater lake anywhere, and Kalemie is the main Congolese port on it. The town sits where the Lukuga river drains out of the lake, with a long beach north of it and the Marungu hills rising behind. The water is clear and holds several hundred cichlid species found nowhere else, which is why aquarists know this lake even when travellers do not. Ferries work the shore between Congolese, Tanzanian, Burundian and Zambian ports.

What you actually see

• The lake - clear deep water stretching to a horizon with no far shore visible.
• The beach - a long stretch of sand north of the town, used by residents.
• The cichlids - several hundred endemic fish species, visible in the shallows with a mask.
• The port - lake ferries and cargo boats working the Tanganyika shore.

When to go

May to September is the dry season and the calmest on the lake. The wet months bring storms that can be violent on open water. Mornings are usually flat calm.

Honest expectations

Kalemie is remote and reached most practically by air, since overland routes are long and poor. Visitor facilities are minimal. Bilharzia is present in parts of the lake and local advice on where to swim should be taken seriously.

Nearby

The Marungu highlands rise inland, and Lake Mweru is far to the southwest.