From the wharf at Kigoma Port you look out over Kigoma Bay, where the MV Liemba still works its weekly run down Lake Tanganyika and the Central Line ends its long climb from Dar es Salaam. Inland, the hills above town give way to the gravel road that carries you northeast towards the rest of Tanzania.
Kigoma suits travellers who are here for the lake and for the history that sits just outside town, and who are willing to arrange boats and road transport rather than expect a polished resort. This guide covers the sights and experiences the sources support, and how to fit them into a single day.
Top things to do in Kigoma
1. Gombe Stream National Park
Gombe Stream National Park is reached by boat from Kigoma, and the crossing is part of the experience. Arrange the boat in advance: a boat from Kigoma to the park costs USD 250, with an entry fee of USD 100 per person.
Because the boat and the entry fee are separate costs, it is worth confirming both before you commit to a day, and worth checking lake conditions with whoever operates the boat.
2. Ujiji
Ujiji is a former Arab slave trading settlement and the famous meeting place of Stanley and Livingstone. It lies about 5 km from Kigoma, and a motorbike taxi there costs around USD 1.
The low cost of the ride makes this an easy half-day from town. Combine it with a look around the settlement itself rather than treating it as a single stop.
3. Dr Livingstone Museum
The Dr Livingstone Museum is in Ujiji, and the source is blunt about it: it is described as a total waste of the USD 10 entrance fee unless you are an East African citizen, in which case the fee is USD 1.
If you are not an East African citizen and the fee matters to you, you can see Ujiji without going in. If you are an East African citizen, the USD 1 fee changes the calculation.
4. Mahale Mountains National Park
Mahale Mountains National Park is the other national park named in the sources for this part of the lake. It is a separate undertaking from Gombe Stream National Park and needs its own arrangements.
Treat it as a trip in its own right rather than something to slot into a town day, and sort out transport before you plan around it.
5. Kigoma Port
Kigoma Port sits in Kigoma Bay and is the working heart of the lake side of town, with a wharf and cranes and the capacity to handle shipping containers. It is where the lake transport that connects Kigoma to other lakeside towns begins.
Go to watch the boats rather than to tour a facility. The bay is silting up as a result of soil erosion from the surrounding hills, and water depths at wharfside have diminished, so what you see at the wharf reflects a port in transition.
6. A trip on the MV Liemba
The MV Liemba sails every week from Kigoma to Mpulungu in Zambia at the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika, stopping at a number of other lakeside towns in Tanzania on the way. It is the classic way to travel this stretch of the lake.
Weekly sailings mean you need to plan your dates around the ship rather than the other way round. Note that the MV Mwongozo, which sails from Kigoma to Baraka, Uvira and Bujumbura at the northern tip of the lake, is not working currently, so do not count on it.
7. The Central Line rail journey
The Central Line of the Tanzania Railways Corporation runs from Kigoma to the Port of Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast via Tabora and Dodoma. At Tabora there is a connection to Mwanza on Lake Victoria, and you can also travel by train from Tabora to Mpanda.
Service on the line has been interrupted before, so confirm that trains are running before you build a plan around it. If they are, this is the overland route that ties Kigoma into the rest of the country.
8. The lake shore and the bay
Kigoma sits on the northeastern shores of Lake Tanganyika, close to the border with Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the lake is the reason the town exists. Ships from Congo and Burundi sail to Kigoma Port every week, so the waterfront is where the town's connections to its neighbours are most visible.
Spend an unhurried hour here around the arrival of a boat. It costs nothing and gives you a sense of how the lake works as a road.
If you only have one day
Morning: Take a motorbike taxi the short ride to Ujiji, the former Arab slave trading settlement and the meeting place of Stanley and Livingstone. Decide at the door whether the Dr Livingstone Museum is worth the USD 10 entrance fee to you, or USD 1 if you are an East African citizen.
Afternoon: Return to Kigoma and spend time around Kigoma Port and the lake shore, watching the wharf and whatever shipping is in. If you have arranged it in advance and the budget allows, this is the window for the boat to Gombe Stream National Park, at USD 250 for the boat plus USD 100 per person entry.
Evening: Stay by the water as the light goes, and check the week's sailing schedule for the MV Liemba if you are continuing down the lake towards Mpulungu in Zambia.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Gombe Stream National Park from Kigoma?
By boat from Kigoma. The boat costs USD 250 and the entry fee is USD 100 per person.
Is the Dr Livingstone Museum worth visiting?
The source describes it as a total waste of the USD 10 entrance fee unless you are an East African citizen, in which case the fee is USD 1.
How do I get to Ujiji and what does it cost?
Ujiji is about 5 km from Kigoma, and a motorbike taxi there costs around USD 1.
Can I travel on from Kigoma by boat or train?
Yes. The MV Liemba sails every week from Kigoma to Mpulungu in Zambia, stopping at other lakeside towns in Tanzania, and the Central Line runs from Kigoma to the Port of Dar es Salaam via Tabora and Dodoma. The MV Mwongozo to Baraka, Uvira and Bujumbura is not working currently.
Sort out your boat and your dates first, then build the rest of the trip around them.