Lake Tanganyika: Bujumbura's Extraordinary Waterfront
Bujumbura sits on the northeastern tip of Lake Tanganyika — the world's second deepest lake and one of the oldest — with hippos in the shallows, DRC mountains across the water, and extraordinary sunsets
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Saga Beach and swimming
The white sand beach at Saga is where Bujumbura residents come to swim, fish and relax - the water is clear and warm, the hippo can be seen at the edges of the beach early in the morning
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Lake Tanganyika Hippo Pod
Hippos are a daily feature on Bujumbura's lakeshore — a large pod frequents the beach area and must be carefully avoided by swimmers; their presence is a reminder of the lake's wild nature
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DRC mountains across the lake
The Mitumba Mountains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo rise steeply from the western shore of Lake Tanganyika — their silhouette over the water creates one of Africa's stunning lake views from the shores of Bujumbura
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Tanganyika's extraordinary depth
At 1,470 meters, Lake Tanganyika is the world's second deepest lake – its ancient waters contain species found nowhere else on Earth, and the lake's clarity allows visibility down to 20 meters
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Fishing on Tanganyika
The lake's dagaa sardine fishery - small silver fish dried on the shore - is vital to Burundi's food supply; the fishing boats at dawn, laying their nets in the pre-dawn darkness, define the working life of the lake
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Sunset from Bujumbura Shore
The evening sunsets over Lake Tanganyika from Bujumbura are among Africa's finest — the mountains turning purple, the water reflecting orange and the last fishing boats returning to shore