Mwanza

Mwanza is Tanzania’s second largest town and the economic heart of the Lake Region. Mwanza is located in the extreme northern part of Tanzania
Mainland dominated by Africa’s largest lake - Lake Victoria. Geographically, Mwanza lies between latitudes 1° 30’ and 3° 0’ south of Equator. The location - on the southern shore of Lake Victoria and the altitude - 1,134 m above sea level - ensures a fresh breeze, a friendly humidity and a nice temperature throughout the year.

The town looks onto the lake, which includes dramatic views of the Bismarck Rock - a massive outcrop of granite
rocks (The background picture and trademark of this website). Mwanza is an important crossroad of the region - with
a railroad connecting Tabora, Dodoma and Dar es Salaam, a busy port with ferries to Ukerewe Island, Kamanga and Bukoba -with connections (by bus) to Uganda and Rwanda.

Mwanza Airport is located 10 km from the city centre - and Air Tanzania has two daily flights to/from Dar es Salaam. The Air Tanzania network connects Mwanza to Hahaya (Comoros), Entebbe (Uganda), Johannesburg (South Africa) -
and domestic; the destinations Kilimanjaro (Arusha), Mtwara and Zanzibar - all flights via Dar es Salaam.

Costal Air is flying daily from Mwanza Airport to Arusha - via the Serengeti Air Strip. Costal Air is also a serious
operator - serving the mining areas around Mwanza.

PrecisionAir has daily direct flights from Mwanza to Arusha (Kilimanjaro), Bukoba, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi (Kenya) - and Entebbe (Uganda) two times a week. PrecisionAir is connecting Mwanza via Dar es Salaam to Dubai (UAE), Pemba (Mocambique), Mombassa (Kenya) - plus domestic destinations as follows: Lindi, Tabora, Kigoma, Musoma, Mtwara and Zanzibar.

The economy in Mwanza Region is dominated by smallholder agriculture employing 85% of the region’s population and complemented by an expanding fishing sector. Commercial fishing is carried out by big fishing companies using modern fishing gear and vessels. The region has traditionally been one of Tanzania’s main producing areas for cotton. For the past two decades cotton production has declined basically due to low profitability and inefficient marketing arrangements.

The growth of tourism has come from a vast beauty of its surrounding area and its proximity to the various national parks -and Mwanza is a convenient starting point for trips to the islands in Lake Victoria - Ukerewe, Ukara and Rubondo and/or trough the world famous western part of Serengeti National Park.