Lake Kivu Holidays

Stretching to the horizon and beyond, shimmering Lake Kivu is landlocked Rwanda’s holiday playground. Part of the Great Rift Valley, its eastern shore has some of the best, and cleanest, inland beaches on the continent, where you can take a refreshing dip in cool, crystal-clear and croc-free waters – bliss for trek-weary travellers and local city dwellers alike – or just laze on the warm sand drinking in the serenity-inducing atmosphere. 

There are myriad reasons to do more than just dip a toe in Africa’s sixth-largest lake, however. Out on the water, you can discover tiny archipelagos that shelter Malachite kingfishers, crowned cranes and a multitude of other birds, or where canoe-going herdsmen guide their cattle as they swim from one island pasture to the next. You can take a sunset cruise to catch the fishermen in full song as they head out for the night or spend a few hours paddling a kayak along the wildly indented shoreline. And if you’d rather admire the scene from the land, the Congo Nile Trail that meanders through the hills and mountains bordering the lake is breathtakingly beautiful territory for mountain biking and hiking.

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Beaches, boats and gentle adventures on Lake Kivu

There’s nothing nicer if you’ve been on the go for a few days, trekking up volcanoes and through forests, than being able to flop on a sandy beach and just relax. You wouldn’t think that was possible in a landlocked country, but thankfully Rwanda has Lake Kivu – one of Africa’s biggest lakes – which has a string of lovely beaches along its eastern edge. It’s perfect for swimming, too, because there aren’t any hippos or crocodiles, and the water’s really clear and clean. It’s very popular with the Rwandans, but international travellers haven’t really discovered it yet and it still feels calm and unspoiled and a bit of a clever find. 

You can’t come to Lake Kivu and not go out on a boat of some kind, and there are plenty of different trips on offer. On some of them, you literally just go out on the water for a scenic cruise, so look for one that includes stops at some of the most interesting islands. There’s quite a few: Napoleon Island with its huge colony of fruit bats and the occasional African fish eagle, Monkey Island with its population of vervet monkeys, Peace Island with the swimming cows. Another great option if you want to spend the day lazing on the beach is a sunset boat cruise. You'll be sitting with a drink, watching the amazing scenery get even more amazing as everything changes colour, and suddenly the local fishermen are going past in their dugout canoes singing their traditional songs. It’s magical.

If you’re feeling a bit more energetic, you could rent a canoe or kayak and have a gentle paddle along the shore. Or, head off on an organised tour with an expert guide – you can do anything from a day to a few hours. You get the same feeling of peace just gliding along, but with the benefit of local knowledge. So you’ll visit places and see things you probably wouldn’t be able to find by yourself, whether it’s a particularly lovely hidden bay, a tucked-away fishing village or a spot where you might catch a glimpse of Congo clawless otters. 

Land-based activities include hiking or mountain biking along the Congo Nile Trail which stretches all the way along the side of the lake for 140 miles. It would take about five days to cycle the whole thing, and twice as long to walk it, so most people just do a short section. It really takes you into the heart of rural Rwanda, along dirt roads and tracks through the forest, past tea, coffee and banana plantations, and into villages where you can watch daily life going on. Definitely worth getting off your sun lounger for.

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