Lake Kivu is located in western Rwanda and is shared with Democratic Republic of Congo with beautiful beaches, great tropical weather, and beautiful scenery. The lake provides the ideal place for rest and recuperation while on your safari in Rwanda. Some of the activities on the lake include, sunbathing, swimming, and water sports like Kayaking, wind surfing & canoeing.
You can visit Lake Kivu as part of your Rwanda safari itinerary or for a weekend if you work and live in Rwanda. It is an extraordinarily beautiful inland sea enclosed by steep, green terraced hills and Islands. It is easily accessible from Kigali and all the national parks i.e. Volcanoes national park (Rwanda gorilla safaris, golden monkey trekking, birding & hiking), Nyungwe forest national park (chimpanzee tracking, colobus monkeys, canopy walk and birding), and Akagera national park (game drives, boat trips & birding). It is located on the tourism circuit making it an ideal stopover while you explore Rwanda.
Lake Kivu covers most of the western border of Rwanda with main tourist areas being Gisenyi, Kibuye, and Cyangugu, which lie along the lakes shores.
Gisenyi is the most developed of the sites and is less than an hour’s drive from the volcanoes national park and is about 2.5 hours’ drive from Kigali. It is set on a sandy beach lined with swaying palms and colonial-era hotels. Here you are able to find both the upmarket hotels and the budget ones.
Kibuye is located between Gisenyi and Cyangugu in the center along the shores of Lake Kivu. It has tourist activities centered on a modern lake-shore guesthouse overlooking pine-covered hills, and boat trips from here to Gisenyi.
Cyangugu is the least developed for tourism and different from the other two. It is the closest to Nyungwe Forest, with great community engagements and beautiful views of Congo but limited lake activities except the fishermen.
As you interact with the people on the shores, you will quickly notice how they are generally laid back exhibiting the phrase ‘hakuna matata’ to its fullest. Fishermen ply the water in dugout canoes on their usual routine of laying their nets for a possible catch of fish. This sell to various hotels and restaurants in town, some is taken to as far as Kigali and the rest is smoked by ladies on the shores for local consumption. You can choose to take a boat ride in the traditional dugout canoes and listen to the ‘sea stories” of the fishermen and even participate in the fishing. The place is teaming with water birds like pelicans sailing, Grey crowned cranes, pied and malachite kingfishers above the shore waiting to catch their next meal.
Things to do at Lake Kivu
Sport fishing (Recreational fishing): Sport fishing is a recreational and competitive way of fishing where the fish caught is immediately returned to the waters (also known as catch and release).
This freshwater lake is home to quite an interestingly unique and versatile number of fish species like Blue-spotted tilapia, Nile tilapia, Lake Tanganyika Sardine, and Redbreast tilapia among others. This makes the sport fishing games a little more interesting on the probability of what species to catch. For those who enjoy a little competitive exercise, this will be an interesting and fun activity to do.
Boat Cruises: Lake Kivu is popularly known for being hippo and crocodile-free. This is attributed to the toxic gasses in her crust; however, this creates a perfect environment for taking boat cruises on the large water body.
You have a chance to customize your boat ride for example visiting the different islands on the lake (Napoleon island and her famous fruit bats, Amahoro island also known as one bar island), taking a romantic evening ride whilst watching the sunset, or even sharing a meal floating on the water and surrounded by countless scenic features.
Water Sports: This is very popular among the tourists, with fresh waters free of deadly animals Lake Kivu is perfect for water sports like windsurfing, paddling to the islands and back, water skiing, kayaking.
Hiking and Biking: Lake Kivu is surrounded by lush green hills and mountains in the near distance. For a fulfilling walk and view of the lake and her beaches, a hike is the perfect morning sunny day activity.
With every turn, you get a better view of the sparkling waters and kaleidoscope of colors. This is an opportunity to know a little bit more about the history and way of living of the locals.
The hills are perfect for biking and discovering new trails, interacting with the people, and of course, taking pictures from every altitude that gives a more aerial view of the lake.
Coffee tour: This is another fun and yet educative activity you can do while visiting Lake Kivu. Rwanda is a major coffee producer and exporter; this means the whole country is largely spotted with coffee plantations and this is no different from the areas surrounding Lake Kivu.
You will get to know how to pick the coffee, wash, dry, roast, and grind the coffee as well as enjoying a fresh cup of coffee that you just made. Rwanda beans are ranked the second-best in the world according to home grounds.
To contribute to Rwanda’s economic development, you can purchase a bag or two to bring back home with you.
Swimming: After that early morning hike or biking, taking a dip in the cool fresh waters is refreshing. Being free of crocodiles and hippos, the shores of the lake are great for taking a relaxing swim on a sunny chillaxing day.
With a number of lifeguards to provide any assistance, you can take a swim in designated areas.
Birding: There are quite a number of water birds. This is an added delight for bird lovers to see unique species like the African woodpecker, Sacred ibis, Yellow-throated Greenbul, Knobs billed duck, Ashy Flycatcher among others.
You get to see all these and more on your boat cruise and island hopping tours.
Island Hopping: There is so much to see on the islands and discover every unique aspect of each. You can check out Nyamirundi island, this is mostly visited for coffee tours as it houses a huge coffee plantation, get a chance to learn the process of making coffee and if possible, enjoy a fresh cup before you head back.
You can also visit Napoleon Island; she derived her name from the close resemblance of the island’s structure to Napoleon’s hat. The island is home to bats, eagles, lots of water buds, African millipedes, and water snakes.
Amahoro Island also known as Peace Island is another place that you should check out. This is a great spot for hiding away and enjoying the peace and quiet. You can camp or stay at one of the hotels on the island. There are other islands to check out on your boat cruise
Imbabazi Orphanage: The Rwanda Genocide in 1994 left quite a number of children orphans. Rosamond Carr, a foreigner but a long resident of the area witnessed first-hand the suffering that followed this brutal period and the heart-breaking effects on the children that were left behind.
She started the Imbabazi Orphanage with the aim of providing shelter and help to these children. With a lot of success in helping raise children and contribute to their development, Imbabazi is of great importance to the people in this area and a huge impact on the community.
You can be a part of this change by checking it out and possibly making a small donation to this drive.
Chilling on the Beach: There are so many beach hotels and hang-out spots that allow you very generous views of the lake, sunbathing, reading a book, and sipping on your favorite drink to relax. Not every day is for activity, sometimes you want to sit back and just feel the sun and soft breeze on your face.
In the evening, the most orgasmic views as the sun sets over the lake will be a perfect way to end your day, catch up with your people, kick back, and get rested.
While Kivu is not as popular as Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park which has mountain gorillas, it is a shining gem that more and more people enjoy visiting while in Rwanda. It is an especially easy getaway for the weekend and a worthy end to the ever-exciting gorilla trek in the volcanoes.