Bukoba

Bukoba sits on the western shore of Lake Victoria close to the Ugandan border, in Haya country, and it is green and wet compared with most of Tanzania, with rainfall spread through much of the year. Bananas and coffee are grown on the surrounding hills, and the Haya were smelting iron here at high temperatures long before the colonial period, a technology studied at nearby sites. The town has a lakefront, a small museum and beaches on the shore.

What you actually see

• The lakefront - the shore and beaches along Lake Victoria at the town.
• The Haya iron tradition - the high-temperature smelting technology recorded in this area.
• The coffee hills - banana and coffee smallholdings on the slopes inland.
• The overnight ferry - the crossing to Mwanza across the lake.

When to go

June to August is the driest window; rain falls through much of the rest of the year. The lake is warm year round. Ferry and flight schedules are limited.

Honest expectations

Rainfall is high and the weather is unpredictable outside the short dry window. There is little formal tourism and facilities are basic. The ferry to Mwanza takes a full night.

Nearby

Ukerewe is east across the lake, and the Ugandan border is north.