I recently gave a breakdown of the state of roads from the Zambian border near Mpulungu to Kigoma in Western Tanzania. Admittedly, I painted a fairly negative picture of the whole experience and yet what I didn’t share is the end result: the reason I insisted that my fiance and I travel that way to begin with.
One of the many obstacles
Aside from wanting to visit the chimpanzees in either Mahale Mountains National Park or Gombe Stream National Park, I had stumbled upon some enticing photos of Jakobsen Beach and Guesthouse. Based on those pictures alone, I decided that there was no way we could miss such a destination, regardless of the fact that it was only one of two reasons we would traverse the entire western side of Tanzania.
Especially after days of travelling, Jakobsen Beach and Guesthouse was a sanctuary. We unpacked our enormous ground tent and settled down for a good five-day holiday in a shady campsite above one of two insanely beautiful fresh water beaches.
A different sort of paradise
Sunset over Lake Tanganyika and the DRC
The campsite itself is intimate and could get a bit crowded in season, but we were lucky enough to have it mostly to ourselves, bar frequent visits by the resident herd of zebras, a troop of scavenging vervet monkeys and a rather devious genet. (For those averse to or slightly tired of camping, Jakobsen Guesthouse does offer a range of alternate, more comfortable self-catering accommodation.)
Resident zebras grazing in the campsite
When we got bored of playing Savanna Ball (a wonderful skimming game using a promotional, lemon-shaped, Savana Cider stress ball), tanning, swimming or just general lazing, we headed into Kigoma Town.
Kigoma might not offer much to do for very active or adventurous people (making it perfect for anyone returning from a Kilimanjaro trek), but it’s got a laid-back and unintimidating vibe. The holiday-style atmosphere makes exploring the town and local market, or chilling somewhere to have a Serengeti Beer, that much more enjoyable.
The main road in Kigoma town
Enjoying an afternoon of good local beer!
If you’re near this part of Tanzania (or planning a gorilla trek in Rwanda, which is only a hop and a skip away) I wouldn’t hesitate to spend some time in Kigoma and particularly at Jakobsen Beach.
The beach right below the campsite
