LAKE vICTORIA

Lake Victoria is the largest fresh water lake in Africa and the second largest fresh water lake in the world with a surface area of just under 70 000 km. It the source of white Nile at Jinja in Uganda that together with blue Nile that originates in Ethiopia form river Nile, the world’s longest river. Disappointingly, despite its huge size, the shimmering lake is quite shallow – only 75 meters at its deepest and has been undergoing attack from a wild weed – hyacinth. There is also little wildlife compared to the smaller Rift Valley lakes such as Lake Nakuru or Manyara.

The giant lake borders three African countries – Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with half of the lake lying in Tanzania. Travelling between these countries via the lake is, sadly, a luxury of the past. Sitting in a fertile basin, the area is predictably heavily cultivated and densely populated, and given that much of its shoreline is marshy and infested with bilharzia, swimming is not an option.

Several lodges in the Masai Mara or Serengeti offer day trips or fishing expeditions to Lake Victoria but it has never really featured on the Tanzanian or Kenyan safari circuits. Tanzania’s Rubondo Island National Park – located in the southern portion of Lake Victoria on one of its many islands – is the only major highlight of a visit. There is a good range of big game on the forested island – including elephant, chimpanzee and giraffe – and the bird list of around 400 species will appeal to bird watchers.

Uganda’s Ssese Islands, lying close to Entebbe, offer visitors to Uganda the chance to soak up a little of the lake’s atmosphere. The emphasis on these islands is less about wildlife and more about rest, relaxation and interacting with the local fishermen. Another island lying near the equator and close to Entebbe is Ngamba island, Uganda’s newest sanctuary for orphaned chimpanzees rescued from zoos and circuses, who are now free to roam the island and play in its tangled vines and towering trees.