Lake Kivu

Lake Kivu is Rwanda's Mediterranean—one of Africa's Great Lakes, stretching 90 kilometres along the western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and fringed by terraced hillsides, fishing villages, and colonial-era towns that evoke a tranquility found nowhere else in East Africa.

The lakeside towns of Gisenyi (Rubavu) in the north and Kibuye (Karongi) in the centre offer the perfect counterpoint to the physical intensity of gorilla and chimpanzee trekking. Here, days are spent kayaking across calm waters to forested islands, cycling through coffee plantations on the surrounding hills, or simply reading on a sun-warmed deck as fishing pirogues drift past.

Lake Kivu is also the gateway to Rwanda's thriving coffee culture. The volcanic soils and high altitudes produce some of the world's finest single-origin coffees, and plantation visits that include picking, processing, and cupping are among Rwanda's most enjoyable cultural experiences.