The Swim

Conservation Lake Tanganyika’s “Swim for Nsumbu” fundraising event gathers a small group of brave and conscientious people together for a 40 km open water swim in a portion of Lake Tanganyika to bring attention to the needs of Nsumbu National Park and raise awareness about the plight of Lake Tanganyika. 

This annual swim, initiated in 2012 by Craig Zytkow of Ndole Bay Lodge and Christian Liebenberg of Chongwe Safaris, covered the entire lake boundary of Nsumbu National Park and is completed as either a solo adventure or by a multi-person relay team that allows participants to swim a shorter distance before swapping out with the next swimmer on their team.

The 2014 swim will be taking the challenge to the next level in an effort to bring a wider recognition to the plight of Lake Tanganyika. The 2014 Swim for Nsumbu will be a truly trans-Tanganyika open water swim crossing the lake from the shores of Tanzania on the eastern side of Tanganyika and ending at the iconic Nangu peninsular in Nsumbu NP.

A Lake and National Park in Decline

Lake Tanganyika is regarded as one of the most biologically unique habitats on earth, with a biodiversity that supports millions of people across Africa who depend on the viability of the lake for fresh water and food.  It is the longest fresh water lake in the world and the second deepest after lake Baikal in Russia.  The lake’s clear waters host more than 350 different species of fish and is well known for excellent sport fishing.

However this biological wonder is under threat.  Global climate change, overfishing, bad land practices and poaching of large mammals is causing substantial and detrimental deterioration of the Lake’s biodiversity and threatens the lives of the people who rely on it’s resources.

Conservation Lake Tanganyika (CLT) works to preserve and promote the biodiversity of Lake Tanganyika and concentrates its conservation efforts around the stunning Nsumbu National Park.

It Takes a Village

Swimming across the lake in effort to save Nsumbu is a bold effort by all participants, but additional help is needed to turn this action into concrete reality.  Without an ultimate injection of funding, our passion to save this beautiful lake and national park for the benefit of the community and species within cannot happen.

All funds from the swim will be used to directly support CLT’s conservation work.  This includes resource protection, by providing suitable equipment and training to effectively police the protected area for illegal activities, as well as community engagement at the grassroots level, which provides the best prospect for long-term conservation hopes.

Ultimately, the fundraiser provides a great opportunity for swimmers, supporters and sponsors of Conservation Lake Tanganyika to gain exposure for their generous contributions through an eco-friendly, physically challenging, and community-based event.

If you would like to support the 2014 Swim for Nsumbu please donate here

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