LAKE VICTORIA (KENYA , TANZANIA & UGANDA), There is no other tropical lake bigger in the world than this one. The Nile River starts in this huge body of water, which is named after the British monarch Queen Victoria. Millions of people live along its banks.

When you come here, you can go fishing for highly sought-after world-class fish like the Nile Perch. The beaches of Victoria are a nice place to relax after a safari in Kenya or Tanzania, even though the area isn’t very popular with tourists.

Victoria’s shores and the chain of islands in the water around the world’s second-largest freshwater lake are both great places to watch birds. The islands are accessible by boat or light aircraft, and the weather is mild and breezy. You can unwind at a cute house on the water.

Also, because Lake Victoria is so big, it has a lot of different kinds of wildlife. It has hippo, otter, reedbuck, Nile crocodile, and many kinds of turtles living on its shores and marshes. There are fish eagles, egrets, cormorants, and gannets in its busy and lively world of birds.

The islands of Victoria

Do not miss a trip to one or more of Victoria’s beautiful islands off the coast, where you can relax, see wildlife, and learn about the cultures of the people who live there.

With its beautiful lakeshores, Rubondo Island is such a beautiful gem that it has been made a national park. Its quiet shores are great for birdwatching, but you can also go on game drives to see elephants, giraffes, deer, colobus monkeys, and chimps.

There are peaceful camps right on the shore of both Rusinga and Mfangano Islands. You can see rock art that is thought to have been made by the Twa people, also known as pygmies, 2,000 years ago.

Visitors can go fishing, kayaking, and see the nearby towns while staying on Ukara Island. The island doesn’t have any cars, so it’s great for bike trips.

A Great Place to Fish

A lot of people who have been to Lake Victoria will tell you that it’s a great place to hike, bike, have a picnic, grill, boat, watch birds, but fishing is their favorite thing to do there. People who fish in the lake area have been putting local fish like trout, cod, and golden perch into the lake.

Use the jetties that run along the lakeshore to fish for the above species as well as redfin, carp, and yellowbelly. Of course, people come to the lake to try to catch one of the famously large Nile perch.

The fishing is good all year, but it’s especially good at dawn and dusk.

Don’t Miss the Sukuma Museum. This community open-air museum in the city of Mwanza proudly shows off the history and customs of the Sukuma tribe. You can see their homes, art, and even a dance event that shows off the culture of one of Tanzania’s largest tribes.

The Katuruka Heritage Site is an interesting piece of history. Around 500 B.C., hundreds of years before iron casting became popular in Europe, the furnace here was making iron for the people who lived in the area. There are also shrines to gods and the king of the area, King Rugomora, which are very colorful artifacts. On the grounds, there is also a small museum about archeology.

Fishing Trips—Because the area is great for fishing, there are a lot of different types of fishing trips, from short morning trips to longer multi-day trips. You can fish for tilapia, catfish, and yellow fish, as well as the huge Nile Perch.