Lake Kivu is one of the most unique and underrated lakes in Africa, sitting on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here’s why it’s worth visiting and why a lot of travelers end up loving it more than they expected:
Insanely Beautiful Scenery:
Turquoise-blue water, terraced green hills, volcanic islands, and dramatic sunsets. Places like Gisenyi (Rwanda side) or Bukavu/Goma (DRC side) feel like someone dropped a tropical beach in the middle of the African Great Lakes region.
It’s One of Only Three “Exploding Lakes” in the World
Lake Kivu has massive amounts of dissolved methane and carbon dioxide deep down (over 1 trillion cubic feet of methane). It could theoretically release in a limnic eruption (like Lake Nyos in 1986), but Rwanda is now extracting the methane for electricity — the world’s only methane-from-lake power plants. You can visit the extraction platforms and see this sci-fi-level engineering in action.
Warm Water & Sandy Beaches
Unlike most high-altitude African lakes, Kivu is warm enough to swim comfortably year=round, and there are actual sandy beaches (Serena Hotel beach in Gisenyi, Paradise Malahide in Kibuye, etc.). No bilharzia, no crocs, no hippos — genuinely safe swimming.
Congo-Nile Trail (One of Africa’s Best Hikes)
A 227 km trail along the Rwandan shoreline (you can do sections by foot or mountain bike). Stunning views, tiny villages, coffee plantations, and almost zero tourists compared to gorilla trekking.
Island Hopping & Hot Springs
Napoleon Island (huge bat colony, short steep hike)
Amahoro Island (tiny “peace” island with a bar)
Natural hot springs near the lake in Gisenyi
Nyamirundi Coffee Island (kayak out and drink coffee grown literally on the island)
Unique Boat Trips to DRC (if you’re adventurous) From Gisenyi you can take a $0.50 wooden boat across to Goma (DRC) in 10 minutes — two totally different countries separated by a few hundred meters of water. Volcano views of Nyiragongo glowing red at night are unreal.
Chimpanzees & Nyungwe Forest Nearby Combine Lake Kivu with Nyungwe National Park (canopy walk, chimps, black-and-white colobus monkeys) which is only a few hours south.
Extremely Safe & Clean (Rwanda side) Rwanda is probably the safest and cleanest country in mainland Africa. The lake towns feel almost European in terms of order and lack of hassle.