Kagera Region

Map showing the regions of Tanzania

Kagera Region piqued our interest due to it being very different than the parts of Tanzania that we have traveled. Located in the far northwest corner of Tanzania, the region itself is bordered by Rwanda, Uganda, Burndi, and Lake Victoria. Historically a strong kingdom dominated by the Haya ethnic group (still powerful in Tanzania today), since the mid 20th century the region has been the landing place for thousands of refugees from neighboring Burundi and Rwanda. The landscape more greatly resembles the highlands and forests of Uganda and the Congo with the Kagera River cutting through the region eventually draining into Lake Victoria. The southern part of the region is a transitional forest mosaic that allows one to really feel the change in the landscape when driving through. A massive escarpment along the majority of Lake Victoria provides stunning views.

The drive from the south provided a rare opportunity to pass through a game reserve. Unlike national parks, ownership and operation of game reserves is a murky and opaque business reserved for hunters and private companies. Vast tracks of Tanzania have been allocated as game reserves (many adjacent to national parks) and remain teasingly out of view for naturalists like ourselves. So the fact that the main road cut through Biharamulo Game Reserve was a real treat. We didn't see any wildlife but we did drive through a long stretch of undisturbed forest which was a unique blend of forest species.

We spent most of our time in the highland swamp area in the northeast part of the region. We arrived a week or so after the rains had ceased resulting in the landscape appearing lush and green. Vast swampland and lakes provided some good birdwatching and hiking though the muddy roads provided a challenge.

We also visited Minziro Forest Reserve, which was a real treat, and also spent some time in the capital of Bukoba. With around 70,000 people Bukoba is big enough to have a lively feel, though nothing close to as hectic and dirty as other large urban areas. It also has the advantage of being located on the lake shore, though we came at the unfortunate time of the year when the area was infested with lake flies. The flies were so thick at night that they appeared to be smoke from the distance and you couldn't walk without getting a mouthful. In the morning there were piles of flies that had died the night before that were seemingly replaced by even more flies the next day!

Although some of the tracks in the rural areas were as devoid of development as anywhere I've ever seen, there were areas (especially Bukoba) that either had vestiges of missionaries or colonial meddling, or had non-profit projects (and perhaps still missionary meddling as well). Overall we absolutely loved Kagera and wished we had more time to explore the western and southern parts...though always good to have a reason to go back!

Local transport

Lake Victoria 

Looking out over the wetlands 

Random village 

Lake Ikimba

Random town shot

Acacia scrub towards the west of the region

Swamp

Lake Victoria

The impressive swarms of lake flies