Lake Kivu has a total area of 2,700 square kilometres and is located about 1,460 meters above sea level. It lies entirely in the Albertine Rift Valley, which still has notorious volcanic activity. An island called Idjwi, which can be visited, emerges from the waters of the same lake.

Lake Kivu bathes the coasts of towns such as Gisenyi, Kibuye, and Cyangugu on the Rwandan side, and on the Congolese side, we find coastal towns such as Bukavu, Kabare, Kahele, Saqué, or the capital Goma.

It is recognized as one of the great lakes of the African continent. It constitutes the natural border with the Congo (DRC), on the Albertine Rift fault, and is the source of the Ruzizi River, which flows south and pours its waters into Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, which is also considered another of the great African lakes.

At the tourist level, the lake has become a place for rest, with a good hotel offer on the “beach” front line and a good place to spend a couple of days. Gisenyi is the largest city, where we can stay to practice water sports, visit markets, or just walk through its streets, where we can find colonial architecture.