Lake Kivu: Rwanda’s Popular Resort Holiday Destination is hemmed in by steeply terraced mountain ranges, Lake Kivu is Rwanda’s popular getaway holiday destination, boasting serene, beautiful beachside resorts that line the lake’s sand-fringed shores. Lake Kivu’s attractiveness goes beyond its picturesque beach line and terraced hillsides, which offer a perfect relaxation for a weekend escape plan but boast a diversity of adventure to explore. These include kayaking, canoeing, and biking, as well as walking and cultural tours, and due to its superb location, Lake Kivu is a perfect base to explore other attractions beyond its beaches.
Overview
Lake Kivu is Rwanda’s biggest lake and 6th on the continent, running over 70 km along the country’s western borderline and is shared with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Elevated at an altitude of 1470m, Lake Kivu lies within the western arm of the great East Africa Rift Valley with a surface area of 2700km² and with a depth in excess of 400m. Lake Kivu hosts Idjwi Island, the second biggest inland island in Africa and tenth in the world.
Getting to Lake Kivu
By road: Lake Kivu and its resort towns along the Rwandan shoreline are accessed on all trunk roads linking them to Kigali. These resort towns of Rubavu (Gisenyi) in the north, Karongi (Kibuye) in the middle, and Rusizi (Changungu) in the south are linked with an excellent Congo-Nile highway that runs along the lake’s scenic shoreline.
By air: These resort towns are linked to Kigali airport with weekly scheduled flights to the airports of Kamembe in the south and Gisenyi in the north, while Karongi receives chartered helicopter flights.
By water: scheduled boat transport also connects these resort towns and other smaller fishing villages that line the shoreline.
Accommodation
These scenic resort towns boast a variety of excellent accommodation plans that offer a perfect getaway and suit a wide range of comfort preferences.
Things to Do and Attractions at Lake Kivu
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Kayak and Canoe Experience on Lake Kivu
While at Lake Kivu, explore its beauty on a kayak as you paddle on its quiet waters. The kayak experience allows you to take in the beauty of the surrounding terraced hillsides along the scenic shoreline. The kayak experience is led by a professional kayak guide and runs according to available time.
A better way to explore the quiet waters of Lake Kivu is canoeing. In a company of the local guide, canoe your way along the scenic beaches, past humble fishing villages, and rest in on scenic islands for local primates and bird life. between by visiting lakeshore coffee farms to learn a thing or two on this beverage. towns, humble homesteads, and soak in the panoramas of terraced ranges and distant
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Take a cultural tour (visit the Batwa site called Dancing Pots).
While at Lake Kivu, take an interpretive tour to the Dancing Pot community, a home to the Batwa that offers an interactive cultural experience. Activities at Dancing Pots include pottery lessons, dance, traditional dances, and storytelling.
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Take a biking tour along the Congo-Nile Trail.
A better way to explore Lake Kivu’s spectacular scenic landscapes is on a biking tour or on foot. The biking tour follows the excellent demarcated Congo–Nile Trail that runs from Gisenyi all the way to Rusizi near Nyungwe Forest undertaken on a multi-day biking tour. From Lake Kivu, short biking excursions run along the shorelines, offering interacting sessions with the locals and stunning views of the lake and its terraced hillsides.
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Take a Coffee Experience on a Walking Tour
Walking excursions lead along the lake shores, following local footpaths that explore local homesteads and agricultural farms, including coffee farms. Rwanda’s Arabic coffee ranks among the top coffees in the world due to its high altitude. This demonstrative experience begins at the coffee farm, where the farmer takes you through the planting process, then picking, washing, and drying process, and finally to tasting a hot brewed coffee at the local coffee shop that buys from these local farmers.
Explore Attractions nearby Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu and its serene lake resorts offer a perfect base to explore attractions and activities on a short to full day trip including;
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Visit the Tea Factory
While at Lake Kivu, one can explore different tea plantations to learn about this important beverage. These tea estates include Rwanda’s biggest and earliest plantation, Pfunda estate, spread along mountain ranges and valleys and along Gisenyi-Musanze Road. From Rusizi town, one can explore the tea estate of Gisakura on a half- or full-day trip. A visit to these estates begins on the farm to see how it is harvested to the factory, where it is dried, graded, and packaged for export and local consumption.
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Visit the nearby Volcanoes NP
From the resort town of Gisenyi, one can explore Volcanoes NP with its vast array of activities that range from gorilla trekking along with the mountain gorilla and golden monkey to hiking experiences. Volcanoes NP lies only 60 km, or approximately 1 hr drive, from Gisenyi.
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Visit the nearby Gishwati – Mukura National Park.
Yet again from Gisenyi, you can explore Rwanda’s smallest and newest NP on a day trip. Here, you can engage in a variety of activities like chimpanzee and golden monkey trekking, biking, and nature walks. The park lies close to 45 mins from the resort village of Rubona near Gisenyi town.
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Explore Nyungwe Forest
The ancient montane rainforest of Nyungwe lies about an hour’s drive and two hours’ drive from visitors’ offices of Gisakura and Uwinka, respectively. Activities to be explored on a day trip at Nyungwe Forest include chimpanzee trekking, canopy walks, nature walks, and mini hikes.