Lake Tanganyika, 2025 Best Vacation Holiday Tours & Packages

Lake Tanganyika is the world’s second oldest freshwater lake, the second deepest, and the second largest by volume. Lake Baikal in Siberia is the only lake greater than Lake Tanganyika. The one record Lake Tanganyika holds is being the longest freshwater lake in the world.

The lake spreads across four countries, with most of it (46%) in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo getting a share of 40%. The other two countries that possess the lake are Burundi and Zambia. Lake Tanganyika’s waters flow into the Congo River system, ultimately ending up in the Atlantic Ocean.

Lake Tanganyika

This great lake was brought to the world’s attention by two English explorers, Richard Burton and John Speke. Their exploration journey was aimed at finding the source of the river Nile, arriving at the shores of Lake Tanganyika in February 1858. The lake was named Tanganyika in 1858 by Richard Burton and John Speke. In the end, they uncovered that the river Ruzizi in the north which they thought at the time to be the Nile, flowed into and not out of the lake. Their captivating journey has been documented in the movie “Mountains of the Moon”.

Much as Burundi might be a landlocked country, the lake offers an eye-catching and breathtaking coastline. Saga Beach is a great spot to beat the heat, with clean sands and warm waters enhancing visualness up to 20 meters. The lake is just a few kilometers from the capital too.

Lake Tanganyika Gallery