Lake Tanganyika forms a natural and beautiful boundary on Tanzania's western extreme, following the contours of the Great Rift Valley. Although its surface area is smaller than that of the country's other great lake, Lake Victoria, its depth of up to 1,400 metres means that Lake Tanganyika contains seven times more water than Victoria.

Tanganyika teems with at least 500 different species of fish - the greatest diversity of freshwater fish found anywhere on the planet. Fishing boats from lakeside villages catch fish such as tilapia and ncheni, which are delicious to eat. Towards its northern end is the port of Ujiji where Henry Morton Stanley famously greeted the explorer David Livingstone with his immortal line, "Dr Livingstone, I presume?"