Lake Kivu: Where to Rest After Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Why it works for trekkers

Rubavu, previously known as Gisenyi, sits on the northern edge of Lake Kivu, about an hour's drive from Volcanoes National Park. You drive down from the volcanoes in the afternoon, swim before dinner and sleep at low altitude. Karongi, half way along the lake, is a popular beach resort where fishermen's singing carries across the water at dawn and dusk.

Rusizi closes the lake in the south. The lake itself is big. It covers about 2,700 km2, making it Africa's eighth largest lake and Rwanda's largest, with a shoreline of 860 km and a maximum depth near 485 m.

How to build it into your trip

Add two nights in Rubavu after a one-day or two-day gorilla trek, then continue to Karongi if you have a fourth night. Travellers on longer safaris use the lake as the buffer between Rwanda and Uganda legs, since the road from Rubavu runs north towards the Virunga Mountains and the border country. The gorilla permit itself costs US $1,500 per person per day according to Visit Rwanda, so the lake is a cheap counterweight to that outlay.

Rubavu, the trekker's first stop

Rubavu is an hour's drive from Volcanoes National Park and Visit Rwanda calls it the perfect place to relax after gorilla trekking. You arrive mid afternoon on trek day, in time for a swim and a lakeside dinner. It also puts you close to the start of the Congo Nile Trail if you want to cycle the next morning.

Karongi, the beach middle

Karongi sits half way along the lake and works as a beach resort base. The pull is the sound of local fishermen singing at dawn and dusk as their boats cross the water. It fits trekkers with a spare day who want boat trips and swimming rather than more hiking.

Rusizi, the southern gateway

Rusizi sits at the southern end of the lake, where the Congo Nile Trail finishes. Note the travel advice before you plan it. The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the parts of Rusizi District within 10 km of the border and to the Rwandan islands in Lake Kivu, while the rest of Rwanda including Volcanoes National Park is not under that warning.

Most gorilla trekkers sleep in Rubavu or Karongi instead.

Kayaking

Visit Rwanda lists kayaking among the lake highlights. Outfitters at Rubavu and Karongi run guided paddles along the shoreline, typically half a day. Book through your lodge or a local operator the day before.

Prices with operators on the lake are not stated on the official pages, so ask your hotel to arrange it and confirm the rate at booking.

Cycling and hiking the Congo Nile Trail

The Congo Nile Trail extends 227 kilometres from Rubavu in the north to Rusizi in the south, with mountain biking and hiking across 6 off-the-beaten-path stages. Gorilla trekkers rarely ride the whole route. Pick one stage out of Rubavu, ride or walk a morning section and return by boat or boda.

A full traverse takes most riders several days, so treat it as a separate trip unless you have a week.

Boat trips and islands

Idjwi, the world's tenth-largest island in a lake, lies in Lake Kivu close to the Congolese shore. Boat charters from Karongi run along the bays and to small islands. Check the FCDO advice first, since the Rwandan islands in Lake Kivu sit inside the advisory for all but essential travel.

Near-shore trips to fishing villages stay within normal tourist areas.

Swimming and evenings by the shore

The lake surface temperature varies between 22 and 24C, so swimming is comfortable year round. In Karongi the fishermen's singing at dawn and dusk is the signature experience, best heard from the beach with a drink.

Summary table

This is how the activities compare for a trekker with one to three spare days.

Tours that cover the trek start

Our lake advice pairs with these Rwanda treks. The 1 Day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Tour In The Volcanoes National Park from Universal Ventures runs 12 hours for $342 per person with a 4.9 rating from 83 reviews, and the gorilla permit is bought separately. The 2 Days Gorilla & Golden Monkey Trekking Safaris from Kingfisher Journeys costs $715 per person over 2 days, which pairs well with a lake extension.

What you see on the water

Around Goma and along the Rwandan shore, locals fish from boats alongside canoeing, jet skiing and people who swim in the lake. One reviewer on TripAdvisor noted they personally would not swim, but the same review confirms that swimming happens. The lake surface stays between 22 and 24C, which makes swimming pleasant.

Rules of thumb for trekkers

Swim at established hotel and resort beaches rather than reedy or village shorelines. Ask your lodge whether the stretch in front of it is used for swimming. Stay close to shore, since the lake is deep, reaching a maximum near 485 m, and open-water wind can pick up in the rainy periods.

If you want certainty, choose a pool at your Rubavu hotel and save the lake for kayaking.

The methane story

Lake Kivu is one of three lakes in the world, with Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun, that undergo limnic eruptions, where dissolved gases can suddenly come out of deep water. Great volumes of dissolved methane gas that may be developed as energy sources exist in its deep waters. Rwanda extracts some of that methane for power, which also reduces the gas load over time.

Has Lake Kivu ever erupted?

No limnic eruption is recorded at Lake Kivu in modern times. Lake Nyos in Cameroon is the lake where a limnic eruption caused deaths, in 1986, which is why Kivu carries the killer lake label by association. For travellers the practical reality is simple.

Millions of people live around the lake, about 2 million in the basin, and towns such as Rubavu and Karongi operate normally on the shore. The gases sit in deep water, far below the swimming and kayaking zone.

Size and depth

Lake Kivu is approximately 42 km long by one measure and 90 km long by another, and about 50 km at its widest, covering roughly 2,700 km2 of surface, which makes it Africa's eighth largest lake. Its surface sits at 1,460 metres above sea level, the highest of the African Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of around 485 m and a mean depth of 220 m. It is the third deepest African Great Lake, with a shoreline of 860 km.

Fish and people

The lake is the largest local source of fish in Rwanda, producing about 21,400 tons per year, and the fishery supports around 500,000 people in Rwanda and the DRC. That fishery is what you hear at dusk in Karongi, when the fishermen sing as they work. The first European to record the lake was the German explorer Count Adolf von Götzen, who reached it in 1894.

Rain and water temperature

The area receives long rainy periods from February to May and short rains from October to December, and the lake's surface temperature varies between 22 and 24C across the year. In the wet months a swim can turn into a covered veranda afternoon, so keep kayaking and cycling plans flexible. The drier stretches of the year suit both the forest trek and the trail stages.

Trek plus lake in one calendar

Gorilla tracking permits are available throughout the year, and the wettest months are March to May. Rwanda's low season permit discount of 30% applies from November to May only for combined trips that also include Akagera and/or Nyungwe with qualifying nights, according to the RDB portal. If that discount fits your route, a lake stop between the parks is an easy add.

Gorilla permit prices start from US $1,500 per person per day in Rwanda and from US $800 in Uganda, which is why the free and cheap lake activities carry so much weight in the budget.

On trek day

Report to Kinigi at 7:00 AM for the briefing, trek from 90 minutes to the whole morning, and drive out to Rubavu in the afternoon. The trek itself can last anywhere from 30 minutes to three quarters of the day depending on where the gorillas are, so do not book a fixed evening boat. A private car or a driver arranged with your tour is the normal way.

Travellers without a car hire a taxi or a boda from Musanze.

Along the lake

The road continues south from Rubavu to Karongi and on to Rusizi, following the same 227 km corridor as the Congo Nile Trail. Boats connect some lakeside points and are the scenic option for a one-way leg. If you are combining Rwanda with Uganda, our 4 day Rwanda and Uganda gorilla trekking itinerary page shows how the borders fit, and the East Africa Tourist Visa covers both countries on one document.

Sample plans

After the trek you have already paid the big number. Rwanda permits cost US $1,500 per person per day according to Visit Rwanda, and Uganda's foreign non-resident permit is US$800 under the UWA tariff, so days two to four should be low cost. The lake delivers that.

Permit logistics before the lake

Book the permit first, since bookings are first come first served and the permit is generated after the application is complete. Only 96 gorilla permits are issued daily in Rwanda, eight per troop per day, with a minimum age of 15, a maximum of 8 visitors per group, one hour with the gorillas and a 7 metre distance rule. If no gorilla family is contacted during a full-day effort, 75% of the tracking fee is refunded under the RDB portal rules.

Fix your lake dates around the permit date, not the other way round.