Kigoma's main market sprawls a few blocks back from the lakeshore in the centre of town. It is a busy, friendly place built around a roofed central hall surrounded by open-air stalls — vegetables, fruit, dried fish, household goods, second-hand clothing, and a few simple kitenge fabric stalls. The traders are used to seeing the occasional visitor and prices are reasonable without much haggling.
It is the best place to assemble supplies for any of the longer boat trips, or to pick up the small grilled-corn snacks sold by street vendors at the entrances. Mornings are busiest; by mid-afternoon the heat thins the crowd.