The Swim for Nsumbu is an annual charity event in support of the Nsumbu Tanganyika Conservation Programme for the cause of conserving the biodiversity of Nsumbu National Park and Lake Tanganyika.
The Swim for Nsumbu challenges competitors to complete a relay marathon open water swim across the waters of Lake Tanganyika in Zambia, the second deepest and the longest freshwater lake in the world. The first swim was in 2012, which led to the formation of Conservation Lake Tanganyika, the first small NGO which sparked the interest leading to the inception of the Nsumbu Tanganyika Conservation Progarmme (NTCP), a partnership between Frankfurt Zoological Society Zambia and the Department of National Parks.
The length and course of the swim alters each year but all funds raised by individual swimmers go to the NTCP. Funds raised goes toward scout welfare and training - the ones who work daily in the protected areas to fight against poaching and ecosystem decline as well as preservation of forests and wildlife, as well as and community empowerment and education initiatives.
The 2026 swim is 10kms long and we aim to raise USD$5000 for the cause through individual swimmer sponsorship. It is estimated the swim will take around 5 hours to complete.
Entrants can enter as solo competitors or as a fun relay team where members can take turns swimming. We will have several support boats there to accommodate different swimming speeds along the way. Slower swimmers will be picked up and brought up to speed with other swimmers at regular intervals to avoid large gaps for safety reasons, making it easy for anyone to enter. We offer discounted rates to teams who stay here for the event.
Email us for details and join us for an epic adventure in the sake of conservation!
2026 Date: 2nd May (Saturday)
Half day 10km family friendly challenge based in Nsumbu. Remote swim event in Lusaka in discussion, please contact us with interest to join.
Please donate! Via this link:
https://www.givengain.com/campaign/swim-for-nsumbu-2026
Sponsors of the Event:
Isuzu Action Auto Zambia
Dingles Meats
Autoworld Zambia
Ndole Bay Lodge
Nkamba Bay
Private individuals (annonymous)
Teams also fund raise for conservation with a target of USD$250 per team
A 6-day sports angling competition that tests the skills of the most experienced fishermen, on the longest lake in the world.
Do you have what it takes to enter?
Formerly named 'The Zambian National Fishing Competition', the Tanganyika Angling Challenge is a 6 day fishing competition held in Nsumbu / Nsumbu National Park in February / March each year. The competition has a long history, running since the 1980's, but with a new name came much needed changes to make it more eco-friendly and sustainable with new implemented rules giving limits to the amount of dead fish caught per day and incentives to live releases. Any excess funds raised during the competition are also donated the the Nsumbu Tanganyika Conservation Project, a Frankfurt Zoological Society programme which has successfully aided in halting poaching on the land and in the park waters, allowing iconic animals such as elephants, as well as fish stocks to slowly recover for the benefit of the ecosystem and local communities.
Competitors can stay at Ndole Bay Lodge and Nkamba Bay Lodge, it is a competition that puts even the most seasoned anglers to the test. Starting at 7am daily with the weigh in at 5pm, it is one competition that is comprised of 2 separate competitions, first being the Ultralite - 3 days on 2kg breaking strain line and the second being the main comp, the National - 3 days on 6kg breaking strain line and the last day being a fun half day competition, followed by the prize giving that starts around midday to award the winning teams their prizes and have a laugh.Each comp may vary slightly with rules as its run by a committee who put requested changes to a vote each year.
The cost to enter is around $300 per team, with members limited to 3 per boat. To find out more about joining the competition, email us and we can put you in contact with a committee member or join the group - Tanganyika Angling Challenge to ask questions on the feed. Link here.
We offer discounted rates to teams who stay here for the competition.
Contact us for more details.
