Lake Victoria

Visiting Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria, the largest of Africa's Great Lakes, boasts an impressive surface area of nearly 60,000 square kilometers. This magnificent body of water, famously identified by British explorer James Hanning Speke as the source of the Nile, is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts and safari lovers alike. Nestled close to the western Ndabaka Gate of the Serengeti, Lake Victoria offers an incredible opportunity to experience Africa's rich biodiversity up close.

The lake’s shores are not far from A Tent with A View’s Little Okavango Camp, a location renowned for its stunning birdlife. This area is considered one of the premier spots in Tanzania for birdwatching, making it a must-visit for anyone passionate about wildlife. With the proximity to the Serengeti, visitors can seamlessly combine a safari adventure with the serene beauty of Lake Victoria, where the diverse array of animals and birds creates an unforgettable experience in the heart of Africa’s natural splendor.

Wildlife of the Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria, or more specifically, the area around Little Okavango camp, is that rarest of rare places where wildlife and humans must rub along together as they once did everywhere. There is a proliferation of bird life from the lake and the Serengeti, many plundering the juicy crops grown by the Sukuma farmers who inhabit the narrow strip of land between lake and park. Hippos have a voracious appetite for vegetables and live on the wetland fringes between the farms and the lake. Elephants queue up at dusk along the park boundary before hitting the village land and helping themselves to melons, potatoes, tomatoes and more once darkness descends. The people of this area are resilient by any measure. Their good humour, in the face of nightly raids from large dangerous mammals, is legendary.  

Safaris at Lake Victoria

From the location of our Little Okavango Camp, it takes just 10 minutes in the car to reach the western Serengeti gate of Ndabaka. From here we can explore the fabulous western corridor following the line of the great Grumeti river. This is where the famous wildebeest migration is during June and into July. However, year-round, this part of Serengeti is full of fantastic wildlife.
Closer to home back on the lake, the focus is birds. Thousands of birds. Sitting in a hide at the camp for even half an hour can bring such rewards for birders as the birdlife comes to you and quite comfortable to stay around. From magnificent Weavers to Grebes to Lapwings to Kingfishers to beautiful Sunbirds as well as the elusive Shoebill, the list goes on and on.  As well as birds we get resident elephant passing around the camp as well as hippo when the waters are high.

Best time to visit ​Lake Victoria

How to get to ​Lake Victoria

The closest airport to our Little Okavango Camp on Lake Victoria is Mwanza. There are various scheduled internal flights from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza each day. The approx. flight time is 1.5 hours.  Carriers are Air Tanzania and Precision Air. 
Mwanza may also be accessed internationally via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Internal flights also connect from Kilimanjaro (JRO) international airport go Mwanza.