Boat cruise on Lake Kivu in Cyangugu
Part of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, Lake Kivu in the west of Rwanda is surrounded by magnificent mountains and has deep emerald green waters covering a surface area of 2,700 km2. It is Rwanda’s largest lake and the sixth-largest in Africa.
The boat cruise is a special excursion trip that gives you a chance to explore one of the wonderful freshwater bodies in Rwanda. Lake Kivu is the largest of the many freshwater lakes that shimmer in the valleys of Rwanda. Surrounded by three towns of Kibuye, Gisenyi, and Cyangugu, Lake Kivu offers welcome retreats in between the sometimes strenuous hikes to find gorillas and chimpanzees in the surrounding Volcanoes national park and Nyungwe forest national park, Lake Kivu is the perfect place where visitors can relax, swim, or take a boat excursion past the small lakeside villages that offer a rewarding glimpse of rural life.
Lake Kivu is the perfect retreat after a breath-taking gorilla trekking and chimpanzee trekking tours in the nearby national parks. You can take on organized boat excursions to explore the expanse of the lake and its surroundings, including the rural life lived out in the villages at the lake’s edge.
Best time to visit Lake Kivu in Cyangugu
As for the two dry seasons, the major one lasts from June to September and the shorter one from December to February, however, the climate is not uniform throughout the country: it is generally dryer in the east than in the west and north. On occasion, the volcanoes of the north may be capped by snow, and evenings in Kigali can call for a sweater – as do days anywhere in the highlands should you happen to hit a cold snap! Nevertheless, every season is good for swimming and tanning on the banks of Lake Kivu.
