Mwanza

Mwanza is a city in Northwest Tanzania on the southern edge of Lake Victoria. Your main reason for coming here would likely be en route to Rwanda or Uganda. The city also received some international attention after the controversial documentary Darwin's Nightmare, which is about the trade in the Nile Perch, centered around this city. 197.250.64.194 07:17, 14 May 2013 (EDT)==Get in== By air Flights from Dar es Salaam, Arusha (JRO), Nairobi, Entebbe. On international arrival, you can easily obtain a visa (US$50). By road There are daily buses going to and from Dar es Salaam. Several transport companies such as Green Star, Princess Muro and many more are one of the best and reliable choices. The journey takes about thirteen hours to reach Mwanza, the northern cultural and trading center. The unpaved road from Dar to Mwanza-Shinyanaga is under development by South African and Chinese road construction companies and has been completed. There are also buses to Bujumbura (Burundi), Kigali(Rwanda),Nairobi(Kenya)and Kampala(Uganda) By train There are daily trains to Dar es Salaam. These are often heavily booked up to 2-3 weeks in advance. But don't expect a comfortable journey by train as most of the time you will find the speed less than average. By boat To arrive from Uganda you can take a bus from Kampala to Bukoba (in Tanzania) and from Bukoba you can either take the ferry Monday, Wednesday or Friday evenings or the bus (several every day around 6-7 AM). The ferry MS Victoria departs to the Tanzanian town [Bukoba) every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evening. There is a ferry across the Mwanza gulf that leaves from the city (the Kamanga ferry) and another about 32km south of the city. The southern one is recommended for driving because the roads on the western terminal are rumored to be much better. Get around Daladalas (public "buses") are a good, cheap way to get from the city to the surrounding areas. Costing only 300tsh for a trip, they are crowded, slow, and thrilling sometimes. You may want to ask someone which one you need to take as there are no transit maps. Taxis can be an option, although there aren't any official labels on them as there are in the capital. Use at your own risk. Pikipikis are the little motorcycles that will take one or two people on as a fare. There are usually a few sitting at intersections. Again, use at your own risk. See The shores of Lake Victoria are interesting to walk along and popular with locals. Climb to the top of Capri Point at the west end of Station Road for a nice view of the area. Do Safari Definitely something to try, if you can afford it. While you are in Mwanza you may organize your safari to Serengeti ( only 2 hrs drive to the entrance gate). The less expensive excursions to reserves and parks are specialized, of a shorter duration, and worthwhile. If there's one trip that will change your perspective on life, it's an African safari. Shrike Safaris, [www.shrikesafaris.org][1]. 65 , TZ, ☎ +255 756 243 686 ([safari@shrikesafaris.org][[2]]), [2]. Committed to provision of excellent services from highly priced African safari/trekking to budget ones according to your preferences and pocket. Buy Frozen and fresh Nile perch fish fillet boxes available near the airport is the great buy. There are some excellent fabric markets on the north end of Rwagasore Road with patterns and designs that aren't available in Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar. Walk through the market area between Lumumba and Pamba Roads for an intense taste of a bustling market. Don't carry a wallet. Remember to bargain with merchants. It's expected. Eat Great Lake Victoria's fresh water talapia fish is a must eat food. A good number of fish industries exist. They export Nile perch fish fillet (sangara fish) to Europe and South Africa. Pizzeria Kuleana, Post St. Pizzas, as expected, as well as a breakfast that is the favorite of both locals and travelers. Opens early, so it makes a good place to wait for the town to come alive if you have arrived with the night ferry. 7AM-9PM daily. The Food Square, Bantu St. near Nkrumah St. Open for breakfast and lunch. Excellent, popular, fast, local food for anywhere from 1000tsh to 4000tsh per person. A great daily stop. No alcohol. Harish Pan House, Nyerere and Post St. Indian food with Zanzibar flavor. Vegetarian menu limited to Samosas, Zanzibar mix soup, snacks and other Indian traditional breads. Sizzler, Kenyatta and Post St. Wide variety on the menu, local food, Chinese, and Indian dishes. 4000tsh - 8000tsh. Open for lunch, then closed until dinner. Mayi Hotel, Spacious outdoor restaurant with a good diverse menu. Lots of fish and chicken dishes. Arrive later in the evening for more menu availability. Their spaghetti and cheese sauce is especially good if you're vegetarian. 8000tsh - 12000tsh. New Mwanza Institute, Station Rd. west of the train tracks. Popular local outdoor restaurant. Local dishes only. 2000tsh - 4000tsh. Yun Long Chinese Restaurant. Good Chinese dishes with excellent atmosphere next to lake Victoria. You may pass by for just a drink as the bar here is excellent serving the usual African booze. Reasonably priced, a meal for two will cost you 10-15 USD. Street food and fresh produce. Oranges, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, cassava, roast maize, taro are all available on the street from vendors for anywhere from 100tsh to 1000tsh. Also available are mandazi, bagias, and other local fried breads in some areas. Vendors are usually walking around, so they may be harder to find. Drink Tunza Lodge, (Located approximately 8km from town. Follow the airport road to the Llemela dalla-dalla stop, take a left turn, following a dirt road to the lake side.). Tunza Lodge is a beach resort on the shores of Lake Victoria. It offers sandy beaches, a bar and restaurant and weekend beach volleyball games on the sand. While the lake water is generally considered safer to swim in than areas closer to town, it is worth noting that the risk of schistosomiasis (a parasitic disease) via swimming or infected water is still present.  edit The Breeze, Second floor in the New Mwanza Hotel (stairs are in the front, not the ones that go up to rooms). Nice view of traffic and people walking below. Open air but covered. A good place to wait out a sudden rain shower. Any local hotel and most restaurants serve beer and other drinks Sleep La Kairo is a top-end place to stay, prices from 30.000 Tsh to 100.000 Tsh. Working free internet, good meeting rooms. City is noisy at night. The Tilapia Hotel (on the shores of Lake Victoria) in the Capri Point area of town offers a swimming pool and bar, ideal for swimming on a hot day. Although the lake is adjacent, the water is infested with schistosomiasis and is not considered safe to swim in. Malaika Beach Hotel and Resort, recently completed, has a large restaurant, infinity pool with poolside bar, sprawling lawns and WiFi connections. You can watch the fishermen at work on the lake while you are at poolside. Victoria Palace Hotel, capripoint. Excellent hotel rooms with free internet, excellent Indian food prepared by an Indian chef. Free breakfast.  edit Ramada Hotel, Rwagasore St. by Kenyatta Rd. Small sign outside, but nice rooms inside for the price. Bar and restaurant on the second floor, safe parking inside, satellite television (some channels in English) and en-suite bathrooms. 15,000tsh per night, but if you're staying for a week or so, you can negotiate down to 10,000 per night. Good mosquito nets, balconies, but not necessarily a fan in every room. Lake Hotel, Station Rd. west of Kenyatta Rd. Nice place with a restaurant. Small rooms with en-suite bathrooms. 15,000tsh per night. Safe parking. A little cramped for more than one night. Ryan's Bay Hotel Station Road, Capri Point, Mwanza, Tanzania. A nice four star hotel owned by Indian proprietors. Large comfortable rooms with views of Lake Victoria. Staff is very helpful and friendly. Room prices star at 100USD for a twin room. The hotel runs a safari company. Get out Serengeti National Park You can start you safari adventure from here. Serengeti and other National parks like Rubondo Island in Lake Victoria. It's just two hours away from Mwanza thus the city is a good base to start a safari. If you start your safari from Mwanza you will enter Serengeti from the Western corridor at Ndabaka Gate. Good safari companies include Fortes Safaris. PO Box 1904 Tel +255282501804 Fax 2500005 e-mail fortessafaris@thenet.co.tz website www.fortessafaris.com, you may also contact [Shrike safaris][3] Email; [safari@shrikesafaris.org][4] this company has specialized in Custom-made safari. Rubondo Island National park in Lake Victoria Rubondo Island National Park A pair of fish eagles guards the gentle bay, their distinctive black, white and chestnut feather pattern gleaming boldly in the morning sun. Suddenly, the birds toss back their heads in a piercing, evocative duet. On the sandbank below, a well-fed monster of a crocodile snaps to life, startled from its nap. It stampedes through the crunchy undergrowth, crashing into the water in front of the boat, invisible except for a pair of sentry-post eyes that peek menacingly above the surface to monitor our movements. Rubondo Island with small islands Rubondo Island is tucked in the southwest corner of Lake Victoria, the world's second-largest lake, an inland sea sprawling between Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. With nine smaller islands under its wing, Rubondo protects precious fish breeding grounds. Sport fishing Tasty tilapia form the staple diet of the yellow-spotted otters that frolic in the island’s rocky coves, while rapacious Nile perch, some weighing more than 100kg, tempt recreational game fishermen seeking world record catches. Rubondo is more than a water wonderland. Deserted sandy beaches nestle against a cloak of virgin forest, where dappled bushbuck move fleet yet silent through a maze of tamarinds, wild palms, and sycamore figs strung with a cage of trailing taproots. Birds and Animals The shaggy-coated aquatic sitatunga, elsewhere the most elusive of antelopes, is remarkably easily observed, not only in the papyrus swamps it normally inhabits, but also in the forest interior. Birds are everywhere. Flocks of African grey parrots – released onto the island after they were confiscated from illegal exporters – screech in comic discord as they flap furiously between the trees. The azure brilliance of a malachite kingfisher perched low on the reeds competes with the glamorous, flowing tail of a paradise flycatcher as it flits through the lakeshore forest. Herons, storks and spoonbills proliferate in the swampy lake fringes, supplemented by thousands of Eurasian migrants during the northern winter. Vegetations Wild jasmine, 40 different orchids and a smorgasbord of sweet, indefinable smells emanate from the forest. Ninety percent of the park is humid forest; the remainder ranges from open grassland to lakeside papyrus beds. A number of indigenous mammal species - hippo, vervet monkey, genet and mongoose - share their protected habitat with introduced species such as chimpanzee, black-and-white colobus, elephant and giraffe, all of which benefit from Rubondo's inaccessibility. About Rubondo Island National Park Size: 457 sq km (176 sq miles). Location: Northwest Tanzania, 150 km (95 miles) west of Mwanza. Getting there By either road from Mwanza and then boat transfer or scheduled flight form Mwanza airport. When to go Dry season, June-August. Wildflowers and butterflies Wet season November-March. December- February best for migratory birds. Accommodation Accommodation in the park includes one Luxury tented camp - owned by a private company. Self contained and self catering visitor bandas, a campsite and hostel which are owned by the park. The park is ideal for: -Honeymooners -Bird watchers -Sport fishing -Hikers and -Boat racers -Company retreats Fishing boat is available for hire. Health There is a medical staff and a health centre in the park. There are snakes, some are poisonous some are not. Rwanda Uganda This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!