Best Tourist Places to Visit in Shinyanga, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Shinyanga, Tanzania, East Africa, Africa

Shinyanga is a Tanzanian city situated to the south of the largest lake in Africa, Lake Victoria, in the northern part of the country. The city serves as the headquarters of both the Shinyanga Urban District and Shinyanga Region and also both the district and region take their name from the city. Shinyanga is located around 175 kilometers southeast of the largest city on the southern shore of Lake Victoria, Mwanza, 475 kilometers northwest of the country’s capital, Dodoma and 1010 km northwest of the country’s largest city, Dar es Salaam. The geographical coordinates of Shinyanga are 3°45′ S 33°00′ E and the region of Shinyanga covers a total area of 18,901 sq. km.

How to get Shinyanga?

Shinyanga houses an airport but flights are not scheduled. So visitors are advised to reach Mwanza Airport, the closest airport to Shinyanga. Mwanza Airport is situated around 150 km from Shinyanga and handles flights to Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Bukoba, Kigoma, Mpanda, Musoma, Rubondo, Kilimanjaro and many other airports in the country and Nairobi in Kenya. From Mwanza, it will be a four hours drive from Mwanza by rental vehicle.

Shinyanga can directly be reached from Dar es Salaam by both bus and train services. For local travel in Shinyanga, minibuses and rental vehicles like cars and bikes are the prevalent options.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Shinyanga:

Sukuma, Nyamwezi, and Sumbwa tribe are the major communities forming the population of Shinyanga and they are into agricultural activities, specifically in the production of maize, cotton, and rice.

Large shopping malls and restaurants are difficult to see in Shinyanga but one can find many standard shopping and restaurant options with both traditional and modern features.

Things to do in Shinyanga:

Walking
City tours
Shopping

Places to see in Shinyanga:

Shinyanga City Stadium:

The Shinyanga City Stadium is one of the landmarks of the city of Shinyanga. It is a public stadium, managed by the Shinyanga City Council. The stadium is a nice half day trip for visitors, where visitors can involve themselves into play or just walk around.

River Nkumbu:

The River Nkumbu flows through Shinyanga city, around 3 kilometers from the downtown area. This river is the main source of water for the Shinyanga city and also known as a nice sightseeing spot and a location for different water sport activities.

Maswa Game Reserve:

The Maswa Game Reserve borders the Serengeti National Park to the south, towards the east of Shinyanga. Established in 1962, the reserve is spread over an area of 2,200 square kilometers and features diverse eye-catching attractions like acacia plants, rivers and animals like lion, roan antelope, Thomson gazelle and Cokes hartebeest.

Northern Kahama Game Reserve:

Situated around 140 km west of the heart of Shinyanga, the Northern Kahama Game Reserve is a popular game reserve, home to a substantial number of African wild animals and birds. It can be explored best through a guided tour.

List of other places of interest in and around Shinyanga include:

Shinyanga Airport
Shinyanga General Hospital
Shinyanga Central Market
Shinyanga Railway Station
Lake Victoria
Bujora Museum Centre
Saanane Island Game Reserve
Williamson diamond mine
The National Natural History Museum
Arusha National Park
Tarangire National Park
Lake Manyara National Park
Arusha Clock Tower

Best time to visit Shinyanga:

Shinyanga relatively remains warm year round and the most preferred time to visit Shinyanga is June to October.

Hotels in Shinyanga:

There are a less number of modernized hotels in Shinyanga. Karena Hotel is one of the nice accommodation options in Shinyanga, where visitors can enjoy all upgraded facilities and services along with authentic Tanzanian and international delicacies. Tourists can refer hotels in Mwanza (around 175 km) for more options that are listed below: