Lake Tanganyika - MV Liemba - Recent Information??

Hi Hero,

I'm right now in Kigoma and will take the ferry to kasanga ( the last stage before zambia). The ferry leaves on wednesdays at 4 p.m. There are 1st, 2nd and 3rd class cabins. 1st class ~65$ and 2nd ~55$. The ferry should run weekly but we were told that it didn't leave last week. so i'm not sure whether there is one on the 28th or not.

i can give more information this weekend.

hope i could help you

marco

Has anyone been on the MV Liemba more recently? Looking to take it in July. Thanks!

Well, a little bit offtime, but I think this will be useful to all of you. We were suposed to take the Liemba on friday 16th july (from Mpulungu, Zambia to Kigona, Tanzania) but we had a small problem. The guide we had, everyone we asked, and any check that we could do in Zambia told us that MV Liemba was leaving every friday from Mpulungu. But this is no longer true. Now is every 2 friday (it looks like it has been like that since 6 months ago).

Anyway we needed to go north, so we went to the port and the only possible solution was to take a Cargo Ship not to Kigoma, but to Bujumbura, in Burundi. We took it (the name of the cargo was "Tora"). The trip lasted 2 days and we really enjoyed it (at the beginning we were not so confident but the crew were nice). The price, 70 US$ each + food 20 US $ each. Yes, expensive that Liemba and sleeping on the floor... but at least we had a set of Tom Cruise movies to see (:-|).

If you want to be sure if Liemba is leaving, you could make a call to any local hostel in Mpulungu (or Kigoma).

Hope this is useful for everyone!

Yes we were lucky - the guide said weekly but it is now fortnightly.

Also note the immigration officer is actually on the ferry and usually only for 1 night so find them or else you will be allowed into Tanzania without a stamp. This happen to us and the guys at the high commission said it was our fault even though we (and several others) asked the immigration officials at the port in Kigoma for a stamp. I dont know why they checked our passports there we had no stamp they had no stamp I guess they were just being nosey :-)

I am looking to travel on the Mv liemba late january next year, does it leave on the second and fourth friday in every month of just every other friday? Do I need too book in advance?

Thanks

Yes. It's officially every other Wednesday from Kigoma. For your day, calculate every second wednesday from there....I took it on Sep 15, 2010 from Kigoma. Reached the dock at 5p (direct bus from Buj was late by a good 3 hrs), but was able to get a first class ticket. Ferry scheduled to leave at 4p, but dint leave till 7p ish. That's just one point of ref.

Met another mzungu traveler who could not get a second class ticket (he wanted 2nd class. Dunno if he wud have gotten a first class for that ferry-he dint want it) for the ferry that left 2 weeks ago (eventhough he was at the dock on the monday before departure)-he ended up waiting 2 weeks to get the one i was on.

Second class is very dodgy, dark & humid. Not for the claustrophobic. The aforementioned guy regretted not having gotten a first class, instead. Difference in fare was around $20.

Hello, I am currently in Rwanda and have in mind to take the MV Liemba from Kigoma to the south in about one to two weeks from here.
Has anybody recent information about the schedules, changes that took the ferry this year?

Thanks for your help,
Patrick