Visit Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu

Location and Details

Lake Kivu covers a total surface area of 2730 km2 with a volume of 560 km3 and lies at an elevation of 1463 m above sea level. This lake is a shared resource between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo whose bed sits upon a rift valley that is slowly being pulled apart, causing volcanic activity in the area, and making it particularly deep: its maximum depth of 485 m is ranked nineteenth in the world.

The world's tenth-largest inland island, Idjwi, lies in Lake Kivu, as does the tiny island of Tshegera, which also lies within the boundaries of Virunga National Park; while settlements on its shore include Bukavu, Kabare, Kalehe, Sake, and Goma in Congo, and Gisenyi, Kibuye, and Cyangugu in Rwanda.

Fish:Nile tilapia, Ripon barbel, more
Lake kivu is divided into two fingers that run along democratic republic of congo's border with rwanda.it is one of the african great lakes , series of lakes in eastern part of africa's rift valley, and is a home to the world's 10th largest inland island .it is beautiful place where the color of sea and sky are often so close that is impossible to discern a horizon and at any moment,
Lake kivu is full of promise for rwanda's future .it is saturated with methane gas that,if extracted properly can be used to power a country.

the lake turn silver as the sky turned pink

Activities:

Swimming

Lake Kivu is fresh water that is crocodile free, hippo free and bilharzia free. The water in Lake Kivu has a cool temperature and all those who would want to cool down especially on a hot day are free to jump in the lake and relax.

There are beautiful beaches along the lakeshores with fine sand where one can relax in the mild sun after having a great swim in the lake.

Better swimming points can be got from the major towns of Gisenyi, Kibuye and Cyangugu.

Hiking and biking along the shores

A walk in Rwanda is always exciting and doing it on the beaches of Lake Kivu can be the best decision one can ever make.

Hiking is a good exercise that can be enjoyed by tourists after a safari or those on a honeymoon. With great views of the fresh water body, a walk at the shores of lake with cool breezes from the waves will give you a remarkable and unforgettable experience.

Water trips and Cruising

This can be done on local dugout canoes or using engine boats. Cruising on this fresh water body enables one to discover more of the land of a thousand hills.

Excursion boat rides can be made within a few meters of the lake even while having dinner while other longer trips can be made to the major islands in the lake especially the Napoleon and Amahoro Island. Relaxing on cruises and water trips on the lake makes one somehow forget about their problems and feel home away from home.

A visit to Nyamirundi Island

This island is near Gisenyi and a lot of coffee growing and processing is done around the area. A visit to the island enables one to learn about the whole coffee growing process and get a chance to taste the locally processed and made coffee. There are also other crops grown on the island like bananas and other major food crops. The island provides beautiful views of the terraced gently sloping islands covered with coffee and banana plantations.

A visit to the Imbabazi orphanage

The orphanage was set up by the late Rosamond Carr to take care of the children who were left orphans by the terrible Rwandese genocide. Carr had lived in Rwanda for some time and was a close friend to Dian Fossey a mountain gorilla conservationist.

During the genocide, the orphanage had to be moved from one place to another due to insecurity reasons however after the genocide in 1994, it was permanently moved back to Gisenyi and at that time the orphanage was a home to over 400 orphans.

The orphanage was reconstructed and well built and today it has beautiful gardens, has a restaurant that prepares classic and standard food and also provides great views of the Virunga volcanoes in the background.

Wind surfing and other water sports

The waters of Lake Kivu have waves that support water sports activities like windsurfing, kayaking, speed boat rides and sport fishing. Wind surfing and kayaking equipment can be hired from around Gisenyi.

What you should know about Lake Kivu:

- Gisenyi is 1- 1.5 hours from musanze(the town that serves as the gateway for gorilla treks in volcanoes national park) and 3-3.5 hours from kigali

- Although a sleepy backwater gisenyi is the most developed of the three major towns on lake kivu (the other two are kibuye and cyangugu).

- If you use the service of moto taxi(bodaboda) helmets are required by law. Your driver will provide you with one. You may want to wash your hair immediately after though (you can imagine how many people have worn them). Also, several locals cautioned me against riding moto taxis at night perhaps because of the blackout which would make accidents more likely.

- beware of the mosquitoes.rwanda is in a malaria zone so be sure to pack your insect repellent and anti-malarial medication

Hotels

- Belvedere hotel