Gisenyi
Situated on the northern edge of Lake Kivu’s border is Gisenyi (which has recently been renamed as Rubavu). This is one of the most popular towns to visit, and no wonder, with a hub of lakeside hotels and bars. Some of these hotels, including Lake Kivu Serena Hotel and Paradise Malahide, offer watersport activities out on the lake, and there is a reasonable beach in the town.
Do see our best camps & lodges in Lake Kivu picks for 2026/27 on this page.
Kibuye
The town of Kibuye is located in the central area of Lake Kivu, and as far as aesthetics go for a lakeside town, this is the prettiest of them all.
The town is relatively small and offers fantastic views out to the expansive lake and the small islands it homes. There is quite a lot of history behind Kibuye and as a small town, it was affected by the Rwandan genocide. There is a small village of Bisesero that is walkable from Kibuye, which is home to a genocide memorial and surrounding beautiful scenery.
Cyangugu
As the southerly most town on the lake shores, and located just a stone’s throw from the very popular Nyungwe Forest National park, while this is a scenis stopping point, there are very limited places to stay for a night.
Best time to visit Lake Kivu
For those that have decided to spend more time in Rwanda than just a simple 3 night stay to see the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, a visit to this area of the country is well worth it.
Generally speaking, the best time to visit this region is in line with the dry seasons between June and mid-September and again from mid-December to February. January is probably the warmest of the months and so is seen as the peak season so book early!
Do see our interactive best time to visit Lake Kivu guide on this page as well as on our parent guide to rwanda page for more in-depth information on when to go.
Or call us on +44 1525 840 149. That’s what we’re here for.
Need more help?
As much as AI has changed the way we all approach our lives, there is still no substitute for picking up the phone and having a chat through the options with one of us on +44 1525 840 149
This allows us to completely tailor the property choices, costs and itinerary length to your needs…but we also understand that this is not always possible with the busy lives we all lead.
With this in mind, we have also put together a safari finder tool that should help you to narrow down the initial stages at which point we can jump in to “round off the edges” as it were.
Alternatively please feel free to >send us an email with your timings, group size and rough likes and dislikes and we can get the ball rolling.
Get help with a Safari to Lake Kivu
As much as AI has changed the way we all approach our lives, there is still no substitute for picking up the phone and having a chat through the options with one of us on +44 1525 840 149
This allows us to completely tailor the property choices, costs and itinerary length to your needs…but we also understand that this is not always possible with the busy lives we all lead.
With this in mind, we have also put together a safari finder tool that should help you to narrow down the initial stages at which point we can jump in to “round off the edges” as it were.
Alternatively please feel free to >send us an email with your timings, group size and rough likes and dislikes and we can get the ball rolling.
Where is Lake Kivu?
Lake Kivu
