Kigoma and Ujiji

Ujiji, A 19th Century Swahili Arab Caravan Port Where Henry Morton Stanley Found David Livingstone In 1871, With The Livingstone Memorial Under A Mango Tree, The Livingstone Museum And The Lakeside Dhow Harbour. Kigoma Is The Terminus Of The 1914 German Central Line Railway And The Gateway To Gombe And Mahale. · Ujiji, Kigoma

Kigoma is a lake port at the far western end of Tanzania, on Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world. Six km south lies Ujiji, an old Swahili and Arab caravan town where, on 10 November 1871, Henry Morton Stanley found David Livingstone and said, 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?' A small memorial under a mango tree and a modest museum mark the spot. The lake steamer MV Liemba, built by the Germans in 1913, still sails from here. The honest picture: this is a historic stop and a launch point for chimpanzee trekking at Gombe and Mahale, with limited tourism infrastructure and few visitors. Come for the history, the dhow harbour, the fish market and the lake light, not for sights that fill a week. It is far from everything, and the journey is part of the point. Plan on a day in town, and use the time to arrange boats and permits for the chimpanzee parks. Cool drinks, fresh fish and a lake breeze at sunset make the wait pleasant, and the people are welcoming to those who stop to talk and ask.

Port town of Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika and the old trading town of Ujiji 6 km south, where Stanley met Livingstone in 1871, at the western end of Tanzania's Central railway, Ujiji, Kigoma, Tanzania

The memorial, museum and market keep daytime hours, and the museum may close at midday or on a whim; ask at the door. The harbour and fish market are busiest at dawn. Nothing is open late. Hours change, so confirm locally and arrive in the morning, when staff are present.

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