Viktoriasee

After a very adventurous car ride, we arrived at Lake Victoria on Saturday evening (October 21, 2023). Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and stretches across the three states of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. It is also the second largest freshwater lake in the world. If you believe some travel guides, Lake Victoria is also the most dangerous body of water in the world. Up to 5,000 people die here every year due to extreme weather conditions. The majority of those who died are fishermen, as unexpected storms often arise at night (see National Lake Rescue Institute). There is a further risk for the lake itself. Industry pumps wastewater from all three states into the lake, causing it to become heavily polluted. The result is strong algae growth, which causes all other life to “suffocate”. Swimming in the lake should be avoided if possible as there is a great risk of contracting bacterial infections.

We had previously rented a small apartment in the city of Mwanza for three nights via Airbnb. We thought this would be a good starting point to explore the area around the lake and do some excursions. Unfortunately, on Sunday we discovered that an individual trip around Lake Victoria in Mwanza is hardly possible. All activities and excursion destinations are in different national parks, which we are not allowed to enter with our rental car for insurance reasons. In addition, these excursions are extremely expensive. In addition, boat trips to the nearby islands are also very expensive - around 100 euros per person. There isn't much else to do near Mwanza, as the lakeshore is built up for miles by Mwanza and the neighboring towns and is hardly developed afterwards, so it is difficult to drive to the lakeshore. We were very surprised at the few options and began to research more thoroughly. The result was that in the states of Uganda and Kenya you have significantly more opportunities to explore the lake on your own. Disappointed, we had to admit that we had not prepared carefully enough for our stay in Mwanza.

Despite the few excursion options, we explored the area by car. Today (October 23, 2023) we actually found a place where we had a view over the lake. From our vantage point we not only had a great view over the lake, but we could also marvel at its size. This vastness is just gigantic and the opportunity to see it was very magical. There were also many marabous and more falcons at this viewpoint than we have ever seen in one place. Once again we realized how great our trip around the world is!

Despite the magical moment, we often have to admit to ourselves that we are tired from traveling so much. A trip around the world is definitely not a vacation. This is also something we would never have expected beforehand. Meanwhile, it also happens that Chris longs for home. It's all the better that we'll finally have a visit from Madlin's parents next week. The anticipation is increasing immeasurably! Phone calls to our loved ones also provide a bit of relief.

Our road trip continues tomorrow. Our next big goal is Kilimanjaro, where we want to arrive the day after tomorrow. Despite the initial disappointment because Mwanza didn't live up to the images we had in our minds, it's nice to be here.