Activities you can do on Lake Kivu in Rwanda
Activities you can do on Lake Kivu in Rwanda- Lake Kivu is one of the lakes in Rwanda located in the western part of Rwanda between some of the Virunga volcanoes. The lake happens to be the biggest freshwater lake in Rwanda and the 6th largest on the African continent. Lake Kivu has a lot of attractions that one can engage in while in this area and these include the waters, the birds, the volcanic mountains, and the geysers in the area.
Lake Kivu is located in Gisenyi town which is a large town with several attractions among which include the mountain gorillas that live in volcanoes national park. You can also have a stay in this town and trek the chimpanzees of Nyungwe forest national park or the golden monkeys of volcanoes national park.
Activities you can do on Lake Kivu
Boat cruise
The boat cruise happens to be the most done activity that is done around Lake Kivu. The boat cruise safaris around Lake Kivu are so rewarding and give you a lot of attractions that you will see while on the boat. The boat cruise safaris on Lake Kivu can be done in the morning or the afternoon and you can also decide to have lunch on the boat cruise.
During the boat cruise on Lake Kivu, you will be able to enjoy the cool breeze, spot some aquatic animals like fish, and have a beautiful view of the surrounding areas. You will also be able to see some of the water animals around the lake shores like the African pied wagtail, speckled pigeons, spotted yellow-throated greenbul, white-faced whistling duck, bronzed sunbirds, and common kestrel among others. Lake Kivu is bilharzia-free and has no crocodiles or hippos.
Birding
Bird lovers can spend some time doing simple nature walks around Lake Kivu and this will help them to spot a number of birds that have found their home here. Some of the bird species you can spot on the shores of Lake Kivu include ashy flycatcher, chin-spot batis, spotted yellow-throated greenbul, hadada ibis, African kingfisher, sacred ibis, yellow-throated stork, knobs billed duck, bronze manikin, speckled pigeons, crimson-rumped waxbill, and cardinal woodpecker among others.
Sport fishing
Sportfishing in Rwanda is not highly developed but it is done some lakes among which including Lake Kivu. Sportfishing is one of the activities you can be part of at Lake Kivu and it involves the use of hooks, gills, spears, nets, and other methods. The sportfishing activity is done using wooden canoes and the fish caught here includes sardines, ndugu, and sambaza.
Visiting islands
Visiting islands is another activity you can do while on a safari to Lake Kivu. The lake has a number of islands like the Nyamurundi island which has a large coffee plantation. By visiting this island, you will be able to see who coffee is processed from harvesting to drying to roasting to grinding. When you visit the Nyamurundi island, you will have an opportunity to taste locally made coffee. You can also visit Napoleon island to spot the bats on trees.
Community visit
The community visit is another exciting activity you can do while on a safari on lake Kivu. This visit takes you to Imbabazi orphanage which was started by Rasmond Carr. The orphanage was started to act as the home of the orphans whose parents were killed in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. When you visit the Imbabazi orphanage, you can donate anything you have to them and spend some time with them to make them feel loved.
Where to stay on a safari at Lake Kivu
There are so many accommodation facilities that tourists can stay in while on a visit to Lake Kivu. The accommodation facilities around this lake do range from budget to mid range to luxury options and they do include Gorillas Lake Kivu Hotel, Cleo Lake Kivu Hotel, Kivu Lodge, Kivu Paradis Resort, Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, Paradis Malahide, Delta Resort Hotel, and Rebero Kivu Resort among others.
What is the best time to visit Lake Kivu
Both local and foreign travelers can visit Lake Kivu at any time of the year but there are months that happen to be better than the rest and these are the drier months, tourists are advised to visit Lake Kivu in the dry season that occurs in December to February and June to October and they are characterized by little or no rainfall.
Tourists can still visit Lake Kivu in the rainy season that happens from March to May and October to November but they need to know that during this season there is plenty of rainfall and this does affect the water activities on Lake Kivu. Visiting Lake Kivu in the rainy season favors budget travelers because the hotel facilities do give huge discounts on accommodation facilities.
How to get to Lake Kivu for safari activities
Tourists can get to Lake Kivu from Kigali city in just 3 hours using road type of transport. Tourists that are in the nearby areas like volcanoes national park, Kibuye, Gisenyi, and Cyangugu can access the lake in a short time. those that use air transport can access Lake Kivu by flying from Kigali international airport to Gisenyi international airport.
