Why Visit Kibuye in Rwanda.

Why visit Kibuye and what to do in Kibuye? Rwanda city visits and tours in and around Lake Kivu. Adding Kibuye to your Rwanda holiday gives you the thrill that was missing on your Rwanda safari program. 

Kibuye  is one of Rwanda’s most beautiful towns and best tourism destination. It is located in the western part of the country just about 2 hours away from the country’s capital city Kigali. Kibuye town lies largely along the eastern shores of Lake Kivu almost half way along the road between Gisenyi town as well as Cyangugu town.

Kibuye is surrounded by Lake Kivu from all angles, this town boasts a lot of commercial activities including hotel business, golf course, and tourism business. There is also a newly built environment museum and also leisure activities thus the reason there are beaches along Lake Kivu. Hotels like the Gold Eden Rock, holiday hotel, Rwiza Village,Bethany Hotel and Moriah Hill, among so many others are located within town and with very beautiful sceneries.

Kibuye is a mountainous area just like most parts of Rwanda but the scenery is enhanced with the existence of Lake Kivu. This makes it one of those places with the most stunning scenery across the entire Rwanda. So this very beautiful scenery, the lake and several other activities that are carried out in this region makes the place worth visiting thus the reason it attracts quite a number of visitors.   Kibuye is also famous for its tourism attractions and also for the fact that it is the most serene place where one keeps in touch with the real natural environment.

How to get to Kibuye

From wherever you may be in Rwanda, it is a lot easier to use private means. You can always connect from say Gisenyi or even Kigali. There are also buses and taxis that transport people between Kigali and Kibuye, from Gisenyi to Kibuye and from all other parts of Rwanda.

Kibuye is listed as one of Rwanda’s must visit places while in Rwanda especially for those that are looking for peace and quiet while out on their vacation or holiday. Kibuye town has a number of tourism activities that one can be part of and the adventure will surely be more amazing than you can ever imagine if you visit the lake.

Tourism attractions in Kibuye town

With the so many attractions, you can always choose what to see depending on how much time you have in Kibuye. Some of these activities you can engage in is tasting the food. Kibuye is also common for its really rare lake delicacies like the baby fish, also locally referred to as sambaza from Lake Kivu. The sambaza delicacies are often served together with posho that is locally made out of cassava flour and it is a really tasty meal that needs to be personally experienced.

Boat cruise on Lake Kivu

There is the boat cruise along the lake which is the main tourism activity that most of tourists go for. This boat ride gives you the chance to visit islands like the Amahoro/peace island which a home to a big number of bird species. A trip to this island will be very rewarding for those interested birding but you can do some little bit of fishing too or simply enjoy the beautiful view surrounding the lake.

From Amahoro Island, you will have the most beautiful view of the entire lake from one end to another. More to just the view, you will also get to watch that really beautiful sunset and the pictures look a lot more beautiful when the waves are washing up to the shores splashing water on to the rocks as they seem like they reach  up to the skyline.

 Visit the genocide memorial site and the environment museum

Kibuye town also has the Bisesero genocide memorial site and just like the one in Kigali. You can learn a lot of information about the 1994 genocide from this place and more about the history and traditions of Rwanda. There is also the museum for the environmentalists along the shores . It provides one the educational information needed to know all about the different energy sources as well as how all the different fuel sources do affect the environment. Such information is very important for the environmental protection and sustainability.

Visit the popular Muyira hill.

This is a historical hill where more than 4000 locals gathered up to defend and protect themselves from the ruthless interahamwe who were killing people during the genocide. From the top of this Muyira Hill, locals had stones and spears ready to fight for their lives. These Tutsis people were ready to protect themselves at all cost. This is a real historical place to visit for those that love learning about historical events.

Kayaking on Lake Kivu.

You can opt to Kayak on Lake Kivu with our experienced guides of Kingfisher journeys. No experience is required and you can opt for the 1 day, 2 days of 4 days kayaking Journey. In all cases you get to Paddling through the deep azure waters of Lake Kivu’s ‘Bay of Islands’.  The guide will give you options and you will set off to visit a number of islands including the inhabited islands which are home to a great number of birds.  You can break off at the Amahoro (Peace) Island for lunch and proceed kayaking. The Kayaking ends with spectacular views of the sun setting on Lake Kivu and Fisher men setting up their nets.

Community Visits.

Visit the surrounding communities in Kibuye to learn about the Rwanda people, their way of life and also contribute to their survival. You may opt to visit a school or volunteer to teach, or build a school block and many more. Visiting communities that surround Natural resources is also a way of giving back to these communities, because the guides are from the local community and thus you will be putting a plate of food on someone’s table.

Kibuye is a province that is close to Volcanoes national park and can be visited while on your gorilla trip. It is just 1 hour’s drive away from Volcanoes national park and Gisenyi.