Rwanda may be landlocked, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying a day at the beach. Kivu’s gently lapping waters and soft sands do the trick – throw in a few beach bars and palm trees to add that tropical feel. Rubavu (which most locals still call Gisenyi) is a sprawling town stretching from the Goma border in the DRC to the Rubona Peninsula. Despite being a stone’s throw from Goma, it’s a world away from the ongoing unrest in the DRC.
Covering a whopping 2700 sq km, Lake Kivu stretches some 90km long and 50km wide and plunges to a depth of nearly 500m. This is Rwanda’s largest lake, Africa’s eighth largest, and one of the world’s 20 deepest and most voluminous lakes—there’s no doubt Kivu is one of the Great African Lakes.
Gisenyi Beach is the city’s main swimming beach. We parked near the lively nightclub Roxy (Virunga Beer – 0,33 l / 2000 RWF). The following day, we met Felix, who arranged a boat for us (65000 RWF / 3 hours) to explore this part of the lake and get a closer look at Goma and the hot springs (🎟️5000 RWF). For a sunset beer and late lunch, he dropped us at the string of beach bars. We chose lively New Tam Tam Beach, with tables overlooking its private beach, to enjoy pizza (Primus beer – 0,5 l / 2000 RWF, Pizza Margherita – 6000 RWF).
Parking location – Rubavu: 1.697704S 29.250679E (🚻, 🅿️35000 RWF)