Rwanda

Lake Kivu

One of the African Great Lakes, Kivu covers some 2,700 km² on the border between Rwanda and the DR Congo. Up to 475 m deep, it is Africa’s eighth largest lake.

Lake Kivu near Kibuye (Karongi)
Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0

Key facts

Before you go.

Starting point
Gisenyi (Rubavu): buses twice an hour from Kigali, a 3-hour rideGisenyi (Wikivoyage)

Good to know

Three things to remember.

Plan the trip

Our recommended partners

One link per need, chosen for reliability. Prices and availability are the partner’s, in a new tab.

Sources · 2 pages consulted, with the exact sentence used
  1. Lake Kivu (Wikipedia)
    Lake Kivu […] is one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda […] Lake Kivu is one of three lakes in the world […] that undergo limnic eruptions (where overturn of deepwater stratified layers releases dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2)). The lake's bottom also contains methane (CH4). […] a total surface area of some 2,700 km2 […] making it Africa's eighth largest lake. The lake has a maximum depth of 475 m […] (coordinates -2, 29)
  2. Gisenyi (Wikivoyage)
    Gisenyi is a town on the north shore of Lake Kivu on the border with DR Congo (Goma). Gisenyi is coterminous with Goma, the city across the border […] Buses run two times an hour between Kigali and Gisenyi 3 hours. […] Lake Kivu and the Public beach.

Opening hours, prices and access conditions change: check them with the official source before you go. Viafro publishes no price without a source and a date.