Visit-Zanzibar

Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria is the world's largest tropical lake and the largest lake in the African Great Lakes region. The lake supports the largest freshwater fishery in the world, producing 1 million tons of fish per year and employing 200,000 people in supporting the livelihoods of 4 million people. The major threats to the lake are deforestation, land use change, wetland degradation and discharge from urban areas, industries and farmlands.

The Lake Victoria basin is home to about 40 million people with an average population density of 250 people per square km. The basin population is growing at a rate of 3.5 percent each year, which is among the highest population growth rates in the world.

Lake Victoria is the largest African Great Lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the second largest fresh water body in the world. The lake has gone through major changes in biodiversity, and has been the site of the most development and conservation projects, both failures and successes, of all the African Great Lakes. Lake Victoria was formed about 400,000 years ago, and lies 1,134 m above sea level.

The climate in the lake basin varies from tropical rain forest with rainfall over the lake for much of the year to a semi dry climate with intermittent droughts over some areas, and with temperatures varying between 12-26°C

Most of the lake's water comes from rainfall (117 km3/year), while almost the same amount of water is lost through evaporation (105 km3/year) and carried out by the Nile (33 km3/year). The natural vegetation of the basin consists of patches of closed evergreen forest along the western and northern shores with open landscapes and swamp wetlands in bays, making a suitable habitat for birds, crocodiles, and hippopotamus. The lake dried out about 17,300 years ago and refilled beginning about 14,700 years ago.

This cycling tour leaves the city behind when we cross Lake Victoria by boat and cycle around 20 kilometers on quiet island roads, offering a tour that truly gets you off the beaten path. You will cycle through rural area and see small farmers cultivate their land, ride through vast banana plantation, dodge pigs that are running loose and will greet many enthusiastic kids. Distance and level can be adjusted.