Bukoba Things to Do

Bukoba, in many ways, is just a small town close to the border. But its a cool place to simply walk around and soak in the East African atmosphere. Everything in Bukoba is within walking distance, except for the port.

Many businesses here are run by people of Indian descent, and striking up a conversation with them is a great way to learn about the old trading routes from the West coast of India to Zanzibar. If you are up for it, you can also try paan (stuffed betel leaves, bought over to East Africa by the )Indians). I tried one, and it was not bad. Tasted very different from the Indian one, but not bad.

It is also common to see the maasai people walking around in the streets. These maasai are fairly modern, and one can even see them with cell phones and watches. If you talk to the natives, you will realize that some of them are maasai too, but have adapated to mainstream society.