GUIDE ON LAKE TANGANYIKA IN TANZANIA

Lake Tanganyika is arguably the most beautiful Great Lake in Africa, formed in the Great African Rift Valley, with long, deserted beaches of silver sand backed by tropical forest on blue mountain ridges down which lacy waterfalls cascade hundreds of meters through lush ravines, home to many primates including Gombe and Mahale wild chimpanzees and a rich variety of mammals, birds and butterflies.

It is the ultimate destination for an off-beat, alternate beach holiday in Africa. Lake Tanganyika is filled from the Ruzizi River, Kalambo River, and the Malagarasi River. The latter flowed directly into the Congo River millions of years ago before Lake Tanganyika was formed as part of the Great African Rift Valley.



Steep escarpments surrounding the lake rise to almost 2000 meters, falling sharply into the lake to an equal depth, making it the deepest lake in Africa and also the second largest freshwater lake in the world, three quarters of which is filled with undisturbed anoxic silt below 500 meters of blue waters. Above the silt are found jellyfish, crabs and sardines which convinced scientists that the lake was once connected to the sea. But later it was proved that a parallel evolution had occurred during more than 10 million years since the lake was formed.

An authentic tour of Lake Tanganyika with AfricanMecca offers an unrivaled opportunity to see evolution at work. Snorkeling in the shallow lagoons, you can get close to thousands of rainbow cichlid fish, in over 250 species, ranging from the size of your fingernail to the size of your arm. It is thought that as one multi-hued population got cut off from another by shifting sandbanks, each group evolved separate colorings as females chose the most splendid mates.



They are now popular aquarium fish because of their beautiful markings, some even neon in their brilliance. Their mouths became multifunctional with double sets of jaws and teeth adapted for grazing and fighting.

Some have developed amazing strategies to protect their young from predators, even carrying them in their mouths. Others became efficient parasites, mimicking the markings of their prey in order to get close enough to graze on their scales with specially adapted chisel-like teeth, without killing the donor. Lake fish forms 40% of the protein diet for a million people in the surrounding countries and is a major export to southern Africa.

In deeper waters, there are vast stocks of sardines, regularly fished by traditional fleets of lantern-lit dugout canoes and some sailing dhows which make a delightful night time picture as their illuminated cloth sails are reflected in the crystalline water. This image is iconic of a dream tour of Lake Tanganyika.