Heidi loves Kibuye on the shores of Lake Kivu
My favorite place at Lake Kivu? Kibuye! There, the lake meanders deep into the green shoreline, creating narrow inlets. These are lined by green hills thick with eucalyptus and pine trees.
The trip from Kigali to Kibyue was my ultimate Rwandan experience. Paul, an Australian I had met in Kigali, invited me to join him motor-biking across the country. I did not think twice. Every village we passed, everywhere we stopped, locals surrounded us and marveled at Paul’s cool bike. He always allowed kids to climb on the seat, start and turn up the engine. It was so funny to watch their faces when the engine roared! Some smiled, others got really scared…
Lake Kivu runs along the Congolese / Rwandan border and is shared by the two countries. With a surface of 3.000 square kilometers, each country gets a good share. Its scenic shores have always attracted the residents of this landlocked country. Slowly the tourists are coming back to Gisenye and Kibuye, the only places with a touristic infrastructure around the lake.
Paul Dwyer loading local children onto his motorbike
Hungry, we stopped at the very first hotel we passed, the Golfe Hotel Eden Rock. The great view from its terrace over a small bay lured us in, although the Lonely Planet dedicated a whole sentence to its slow service. A dramatic understatement! It is awfully slow. The waitress tried to make up by being friendly, but we suspected the kitchen staff watching the soccer game instead of getting our meals done. Moreover, the thumping music from the bar and guests getting totally wasted on the small beach ruled it out as a place to stay.
Hotel Bethanine at the far end of a peninsula, an oasis of tranquility with its irresistibly faded charm, proved a far better option. First, it is in one of the cheapest hotels in Rwanda, with rooms for 20 USD. The setting is unparalleled; the large estate sprawls along and down the shoreline, with the little bungalows perfectly blending in the lush vegetation. There, we enjoyed the most pleasant climate with no mosquitoes. A restaurant with a small terrace is perched right onto the lakeside, the perfect spot to watch the sun go down over the Congo.
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