Mwanza is a city in Northwest Tanzania on the southern edge of Lake Victoria. Your main reason for coming here would likely be en route to Rwanda or Uganda. The city received some international attention after the controversial documentary Darwin's Nightmare, which is about the trade in the Nile Perch, centered in this city.
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. Use at your own risk. Pikipikis are the little motorcycles that will take one or two people on as a fare.
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. 1 Bismarck Rock (Next to the Kamanga Ferry terminal). A fascinating natural rock formation jutting out of Lake Victoria. Thousands of years of weathering have created the rounded granite rocks you see today. A statue of Prussian ruler Otto von Bismarck, who unified Germany and later became Chancellor, once stood here to mark German colonization of Tanzania.
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. Pizzeria Kuleana, Post St.. Pizzas, as expected, and a breakfast that is the favorite of locals and travelers.
Tunza Lodge (about 8 km from town: follow the airport road to the Llemela dalla-dalla stop, take a left turn, following a dirt road to the lake side). Tunza Lodge is a beach resort on the shores of Lake Victoria. It offers sandy beaches, a bar and restaurant and weekend beach volleyball games on the sand. While the lake water is generally considered safer to swim in than areas closer to town, there is still a risk of schistosomiasis. The Breeze, second floor in the New Mwanza Hotel (stairs are in the front, not the ones that go up to rooms). Nice view of traffic and people walking below. Open air but covered.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Sep, Mwanza typically sees ~27°C daytime highs and 12 rainy days.
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