Mwanza sits on top of and around enormous outcrops of granite, smoothed by hundreds of millions of years into rounded, balanced stacks that local people call the "dancing rocks." The most photogenic cluster is the group above the harbour just behind the central business district, where boulders the size of houses lean on each other at improbable angles. Climbing a short way up gives one of the city's best views: the harbour, the lake, the boats, and Bismarck Rock in the middle distance.
The rocks are not a formal sight — no entrance, no signs — but the scramble up is part of the appeal. Sturdy shoes and a sense of caution help, particularly after rain when the granite is slick. In late afternoon the warm orange light on the stone is striking and the bats start to come out of the cracks.