Best Tourist Places to Visit in Musoma, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Musoma, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

Musoma is the capital city of the Mara Region in the eastern African country, Tanzania, located on the eastern tip of Lake Victoria between 01°30′00″ S latitude and 33°48′00″ E longitude. Musoma is situated around 1,200 meters above sea level, around 60 kilometers south of the border point, where Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda meet up. Musoma was the hometown of the father of the nation and the first president of Tanzania, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere. Musoma is located around 220 km northeast of Mwanza, 480 km northwest of Arusha and 1150 km northwest of Dar es Salaam, the largest city and commercial hub of Tanzania.

History of Musoma:

The name Musoma may be derived from the term Omusoma, which literally means ‘spit’, referring many spits in Musoma. As like the rest of Tanzania, Musoma also came under the German rule from the 1990s until the outcome of First World War, in which Germany ceded to the British. Musoma became independent from the British rule with the country’s independence on 9 December 1961.

Getting Musoma:

Musoma Airport operates flights only from/to Mwanza Airport, where visitors can get flights from all the major cities in Tanzania, including Dar es Salaam. Musoma Airport is situated within the city premise.

Musoma is linked to Mwanza by direct bus services, but from Arusha visitors have to find alternative ways to reach Musoma. Visitors can hire a car and bike at the travel agencies in Musoma for local travel, airport travel and sightseeing purposes.

Culture, food and shopping in Musoma:

Musoma was the hometown of many famous personalities, must mention persons include the first President of Tanzania Julius Kambarage Nyerere and the former Prime Minister of Joseph Sinde Warioba.

Shops are abundant in Musoma, of which most are located around the main bus station of the city. Some famous restaurants in Musoma include:

Alshaz’s takeaway
Rehema

What to do in Musoma?

Fishing
Swimming
Traditional shopping
Village tours

What to see in Musoma?

Lake Victoria:

The Lake Victoria is the first preference of tourists visiting the city Musoma. It is the Africa’s largest lake in terms of area and the largest tropical lake in the world. It is a wonderful tourist destination with a wide range of water sport activities, including fishing and swimming. It is a must visit.

Grumeti Game Reserve:

The Grumeti Game Reserve is situated to the southeast of Musoma, featuring dense forest with a substantial number of African animals and birds. It is advised visitors to take a guided tour for easier exploration of the reserve.

Serengeti National Park:

The Serengeti National Park is a paradise for animal and bird enthusiasts, especially noted for more than 1.5 million white bearded wildebeest migrating to the park. The park is also famous for the migration of 250,000 zebras and the population of Nile crocodiles. Popular birdlife in the park include crowned crane, marabou stork, martial eagle, ostrich, secretary bird and Kori bustard.

List of other places of interest in and around Musoma includes:

Ngorongoro Crater
Lake Manyara National Park
Arusha National Park
Tarangire National Park
Cultural Heritage Centre Arusha
Meserani Snake Park
Kilimanjaro Golf
Olduvai Gorge
Lake Manyara
Bishop’s Cathedral of Arusha
Arusha Clock Tower
The National Natural History Museum
Mount Kilimanjaro

Best time to visit Musoma:

Generally during the dry months between July and November is ideal to visit Musoma to explore its natural beauty.

Where to stay in Musoma?

Musoma houses many tourist favor accommodation centres, mainly BB and inns and vacation rentals. Visitors can also refer hotels in the nearest major city Mwanza. In below list, the first 6 hotels are in Musoma and the rest of the hotels are in Mwanza (around 220 km from Musoma):