Niamkolo Church

Niamkolo church was built by the London Missionary Society in the 1890s in stone, close to the shore of Lake Tanganyika, and abandoned around 1908 when sleeping sickness forced the mission to move. The roof is long gone and what stands is the walls and the square tower, open to the sky, with the lake behind. It is generally described as the oldest surviving stone church building in Zambia and is protected as a national monument.

What you actually see

• The stone shell - walls and a square tower standing without a roof.
• The lake setting - Tanganyika immediately behind the ruin.
• The 1890s date - the mission society's building of the last decade of the century.
• The abandonment - the move forced by sleeping sickness around 1908.

When to go

Open year round. Mornings are cooler in a hot lakeside town. Half an hour covers the site.

Honest expectations

The site is small and half an hour is enough. There is no interpretation beyond a plaque. Mpulungu is a busy working port with little for visitors.

Nearby

Moto Moto Museum is in Mbala above, and Nsumbu is west along the lake.