Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika is the largest rift valley lake in Africa. It covers 32,900 sq km with a shoreline of 1,830 km. By volume, this is the second biggest freshwater lake in the world holding an estimated 18,900 cubic kilometers of freshwater; it is the longest and also the second deepest lake (Deepest point at 1,470m) after Siberia’s Lake Baikal in the world.

Tanganyika on the Map

Lake Tanganyika is shared by four countries namely Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia (DRC with 43%) and (Tanzania with 40%) have the largest portions.
Geographically, Tanganyika Lake is situated within the Western Rift of the Great East Africa Rift Valley. It extends for 673 km in a north-south direction and averages 50 km in width.
The lake’s catchment area occupies up to 231,000 sq km, and is fed by two main rivers but also supplemented by numerous smaller rivers and streams.
Tanganyika Lake is a great conservationists and researchers destination. The area of prime interest for researchers is the colder water far below the penetration of natural light and the even deeper water that is deprived of oxygen.
Lake Tanganyika is famous for its amazing fish varieties. Over 450 different fish species have been recorded in the lake.  Fishing is the major activity of most settlers and local communities at the lake shores.
The best fishing season is between November and March, although many rudimentary ways are employed.
Numerous water based activities include snorkeling and diving are popular at the lake. There is also an annual fishing competition held in March which draws the attention of several tourists both local and foreign every year.
A series of cliffs and drop offs between Sumbu and Mpulungu are well known by divers and prove very popular.

Fishermen on Lake Tanganyika

Caution!
There are many crocodiles and hippos in the lake which pose a significant threat the lake users. They are more commonly encountered near the mouths of rivers and in the quieter parts of the Sumbu National Park.