Mwanza Region · Tanzania
Mwanza travel guide
Mwanza is a city in Mwanza Region, Tanzania, home to about 706,000 people.
- Best months
- May to July
- Nearest airport
- MWZ9 km · Mwanza International Airport
- Currency
- TZSTanzanian shilling
- Time zone
- Africa/Dar es Salaam
- Language
- English, Swahili
About
About Mwanza
Mwanza City (), also known as Rock City to the residents, is a port city and capital of Mwanza Region on the southern shore of Lake Victoria in north-western Tanzania. With an urban population of 1,104,521 and a population of 3,699,872 in the region (2022 census), it is Tanzania's second largest city, after Dar es Salaam.
Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Mwanza
See
The shores of Lake Victoria are interesting to walk along and popular with locals. Also, climb to the top of Capri Point at the west end of Station Road for a nice view of the area.
- Bismarck Rock
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Mwanza
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Mwanza are May to July. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 29 °C; November is the wettest, with about 145 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Mwanza: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mwanza International Airport (MWZ), about 8.8 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting around
Daladalas (public "buses") are a good, cheap way to get from the city to the surrounding areas. Costing only TSh300 for a trip, they are crowded, slow, and thrilling sometimes. You may want to ask someone which one you need to take as there are no transit maps. Taxis can be an option, although there aren't any official labels on them as there are in the capital. White licence plates means that the vehicle is registered for commercial use, and yellow mean private. Not all taxis have white licence plates, but some do. The taxis should be white cars with white licence plates.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
MWZ · Mwanza International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Mwanza
Eat
Great Lake Victoria's fresh water tilapia fish is a must eat food. A good number of fish industries exist. They export Nile perch fish fillet (sangara fish) to Europe and South Africa. Street food. Oranges, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, cassava, roast maize, taro are all available on the street from vendors for TSh100-1000. Also available are mandazi, bagias, and other local fried breads in some areas. Vendors are usually walking around, so they may be harder to find.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Mwanza: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Mwanza?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Mwanza are May to July. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 29 °C; November is the wettest, with about 145 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Mwanza?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mwanza International Airport (MWZ), about 8.8 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Mwanza?
Tanzanian shilling (TZS).
Nearby
Destinations near Mwanza
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.