Robert Koch Hill rises to about 100 metres directly behind the central market and gives the best in-town view over Mwanza's harbour, the dancing rocks, and out across the open lake. The walk up takes 15 to 20 minutes from the city centre — partly road, partly a stone stair cut into the granite — and is best done in the early morning before the heat builds or in the late afternoon.
The hill is now a residential neighbourhood with houses built into the gaps between boulders, so the walk passes children playing in stone courtyards and the smell of cooking fires. From the summit you can see clear across to Capripoint, the cathedral spire, and the dhow harbour. The view at sunset, with the dust haze turning the sky orange and the lake reflecting it, is one of the city's best moments.