Rwanda’s largest and most scenic lake
At the country’s western border with the DRC, Lake Kivu is Rwanda’s largest lake and Africa’s sixth-largest lake. After a two hour journey from Nyungwe National Park, JJ and I checked in at Moriah Hill Resort in Kibuye. The resort lies on the western shore of Lake Kivu and is a lovely place to relax, swim and go for nature walks.
DAY 5 – SUNDAY
The lake attracts a number of visitors, particularly from other parts of Rwanda and its neighbouring countries. Having said this, Kibuye doesn’t feel overwhelmed by mass-tourism. We arrived at Lake Kivu on the fifth day of our Kazinga Tours ‘Primates of Rwanda’ trip (which happened to be Christmas Eve). Our room in Moriah Hill Resort was clean and quiet with an ensuite bathroom, mini bar fridge and TV. The view was amazing. We spent the day watching otters fishing, birding and walking along the water’s edge.
Watching otters and birds from our balcony
I didn’t manage to get any photos of the otters, their distance from the shore and constant diving under the surface of the water wasn’t working in my favour. However, I did manage to photograph some of the beautiful birds that we saw. I’m no ornithologist, so if any of these names are wrong please let me know!
Southern red bishop
-
- Sunbird + village weaver
-
- Pied kingfisher
Before dinner, JJ and I went for a walk along the palm-fringed track that started next to the resort. The trail ended at a little sandy play area with grassy banks leading down to the water.
Oops, I lost my hat running to get in this shot!
In the evening, Moriah Hill Resort laid on a delicious Christmas Eve buffet, the fish brochettes were especially yum. There was even live music to get us in the festive spirit.
Fishing boats on Lake Kivu at dusk
The following morning we left for the Virunga Mountains. Read my post all about our bucket list mountain gorilla trekking experience below.
More posts from this trip:
Kigali Memorial + Nyanza King’s Palace Museum
Nyungwe National Park – Chimpanzee tracking
Volcanoes National Park – Gorilla trekking
7 Days on Unguja Island – Exploring Zanzibar, Tanzania
3 Day stopover in the United Arab Emirates
Pin this post for later:
Pin my packing list:
This location looks so pristine. I had no idea Lake Kivu is Rwanda’s largest lake and Africa’s sixth-largest lake. It looks like a must-visit place. Southern red bishop is so pretty.
If you like birds, this is definitely a great place to spot them.
What a great way to spend 24 hours, it sounds very relaxing! It must have been beautiful with those views and colorful wildlife.
It was certainly very relaxing and different from the rest of our trip which was mostly safari-based. A beautiful place!
Amazing – since I still remember horrific reports from Rwanda during the civil war, it definitely wasn’t on my radar as a tourist destination. It’s sad that these countries have to live with a certain stigma for years. Thanx for ‘correcting’ my view.
Rwanda is popular for gorilla tourism (for good reason), but there are plenty of other beautiful attractions too.
Admittedly, Rwanda isn’t a place that comes to mind when I think of vacation and resorts. However, this looks beautiful! I love that you’re able to enjoy the wildlife from the balcony!
Yeh such a pretty place with so many lovely birds.
The views are spectacular at Moriah Hill Resort. I love that there aren’t mass amounts of tourists at this lake. It gives a much better opportunity of enjoying the true beauty.
Haha yep, when our guide told us this was a popular holiday place I was surprised that there weren’t more tourists around.
What a beautiful lake! It looks so lovely and peaceful. Is it easy to walk near/around the lake, in places other than near your resort?
Yep, it was easy to walk around the lake, there are a few trails. Given more time we might have taken a boat trip as well.