Bukoba

Bukoba is a city of 129,000 people (2012) in Northwest Tanzania.

Understand

Bukoba is a bustling town on Lake Victoria.

Get in

By plane

Bukoba Airport (IATA: BKZ), -1.332222°, 31.821111°. There are daily flights from Mwanza by Auric Air or Precision Air. There are daily flights from Dar es Salaam by Air Tanzania 2019-02-21

By bus

Buses arrive at Bukoba bus station, -1.32956°, 31.80887°. There's a number of lines connecting Bukoba with other cities:

From the Uganda border (Mutukula) to Bukoba (80 km, about 2 hours)
There are daily buses from Kampala (300 km, 8 hours)
There are daily buses from Mwanza (430 km, 10 hours)
There are also a buses coming from Kigoma (550 km, 13 hours)

By boat

Bukoba Port, -1.34926°, 31.81591°. After several years out of service, the refurbished ferry between Mwanza and Bukoba has resumed operation under the name MS New Victoria in June 2020. The timetable remains the same as in previous years: the ferry departs Mwanza every Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday evening around 21:00 and reaches Bukoba the next day in the morning. Adults pay TSh16,000/30,000/45,000 for an Economy/Business/First class trip (one-way). Children pay half 2021-11-02

Get around

The city centre is easily walkable, or you can just take one of the motorcycle taxis that are waiting at every street corner to take you to your destination.

See

The iconic "Mater Misericordiae" cathedral (at Barongo and Jamhuri Road) is worth a look.
As of 2021 there is also a large mosque being built just north of the bus station.

Do

If you plan on going for a swim, note that the shores of Lake Victoria are notoriously infested with parasites and there is a risk of contracting Bilharzia!

Bukoba beach, -1.33712°, 31.82168°. Maybe surprisingly so, Bukoba does have a relatively nice sand beach. On the weekends you'll see quite a few locals dipping into the shallow waters. The nearby, improvised football pitch is used by local youth to practice. The small, local waste dump is an attraction for the big, ugly Marabus sifting through the garbage. Free 2021-10-30

Buy

Markets

Fido Dido, -1.33045°, 31.81186°. M-Sa morning-19:30. Small walk-in store with basic stock of essential items, food and nonfood. Mostly canned items from overseas (India, China). The friendly owner is often up for a chat. 2021-10-28
Street market/Marketplace, -1.32963°, 31.81202°. Many sellers offer their goods by the curb or in small shops in the area around Biashara/Jamhuri street. There's also a covered market place in the centre where you can purchase fresh produce. 2021-10-28
Mangos are typically sold in the streets by boys pushing wheeled carts. The ripe ones go for TSh1000/piece.

Banks

Tanzania Commercial bank, -1.33106°, 31.81292°. Credit cards accepted (TSh10,000 fee for foreign cards is not disclosed beforehand!) 2021-10-28
NBC Bank, -1.33175°, 31.81290°. Credit cards accepted, TSh15,400 fee charged 2021-10-28
CRDB Bank, -1.32951°, 31.81038°. Credit cards accepted, TSh11,500 fee charged 2021-10-30
Mkombozi Commercial Bank, -1.33283°, 31.81430°. Credit cards accepted (TSh14,000 fee for foreign cards is not disclosed beforehand!) 2021-10-30

Eat

New Rose Cafe, Jamhuri Street, -1.33105°, 31.81243°. M-Sa ~08:00-17:30, closed Sundays. Excellent local food. Always busy. Good spot for breakfast and lunch (they close too early for dinner). Donuts and other pastries sold as well. Tsh5000 for a meal at lunch time 2021-10-28

Drink

Pentagon pub, Arusha road, -1.32824°, 31.81162°. Outdoor pub that serves beer (even cold one, if you insist) and simple meals. Come here if you want to watch (African) football. 2021-11-02

Sleep

Gerida Inn Hotel, -1.33051°, 31.81430°. All rooms with double bed, ceiling fan, mosquito net, own bathroom (cold water/bucket shower). Good budget option though the rooms are quite run down. TSh10,000 2021-10-28
Kahawa guest house, -1.33072°, 31.81445°. Cheapest rooms with mosquito nets, no fans. From TSh8,000 2021-10-28
Traveler's lodge, -1.32869°, 31.81270°. Spacious, clean rooms with mosquito nets, fans, own bathrooms. Hot water. Food available, will be prepared on request. Quiet area. From TSh20,000 2021-10-28
Bukoba Co-op Hotel, Shore road, -1.34532°, 31.81454°, +255 28-2221251. Check-in: noon, check-out: noon. Fan single/double rooms with own bathroom. TSh25,000/30,000 2019-07-29
Kiroyera Campsite, Shore Road, +255 784-568276. Camping with own or hired tent. On beach and has a restaurant. US$5/7 2016-08-30

Connect

All major networks (Airtel, Halotel, Tigo, Vodacom) have stores in the city centre between Jamhuri Road and Kashozi Road, where you can purchase a local SIM card. You may have to try multiple shops until you find one that doesn't have "system problems" when registering foreign passports.
4 Ways Internet cafe, kashozi Road. Daily 07:00-18:00. TSh1000 a hour 2016-08-30

Go next

Masaka or Kampala
Mwanza, which can also be reached by ferry (see Mwanza#By boat)

Bukoba - city