Nyamyumba Hot Springs
Hot springs on the shore of Lake Kivu, south of Gisenyi, where warm water bubbles up near the lake. Locals visit for the heat and the quiet shoreline.
Lake Kivu (Rubavu and Karongi)
Kayaking, boat trips, sandy shores and lakeside towns are found around this large, calm lake; relaxed resorts there suit unwinding after a safari.
Attractive locations
Museum of Environment
A museum in Karongi about Rwanda's nature, with displays on plants, animals and the environment around Lake Kivu. It suits a short and informative stop.
Bisesero Genocide Memorial
A memorial on the hills above Lake Kivu, honouring people who resisted and were killed here in 1994. It is a place of remembrance and calls for quiet respect.
Gishwati Forest
A restored patch of montane forest in the hills above Lake Kivu, with trails and a growing group of wild chimpanzees. Conservation work here has reversed years of forest loss.
Lake Kivu
One of Africa's great rift lakes, forming Rwanda's western border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Quiet beaches, small islands and hilly shores make it the country's main place to relax.
Gisenyi
A lakeside town at the northern end of Lake Kivu with sandy beaches, a waterfront and views of volcanoes. It is also known as Rubavu and is the main base on this side of the lake.
Kibuye
A relaxed town on a peninsula in Lake Kivu, also known as Karongi, with small bays and hills around it. Boat trips go from here to the lake's islands.
Airports
Kamembe Airport KME
It is about 72 km in a straight line from Lake Kivu (Rubavu and Karongi).
Kigali International Airport KGL
It is about 112 km in a straight line from Lake Kivu (Rubavu and Karongi).
Scams and safe taxis
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan20.4 °C126 mm
- Feb20.9 °C132 mm
- Mar20.5 °C191 mm
- Apr19.8 °C191 mm
- May19.3 °C141 mm
- Jun19.0 °C61 mm
- Jul19.2 °C38 mm
- Aug20.1 °C80 mm
- Sep20.6 °C118 mm
- Oct20.3 °C164 mm
- Nov19.9 °C196 mm
- Dec20.1 °C149 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Mar, Apr, Nov.
Costs
Prices here are about 27% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
112 is the general emergency number. Ask your hotel or guide for local police and ambulance numbers.
local government
Rwanda National Police emergency line 112
Helps with: Rwanda has no separate tourist police unit listed. The national police list 112 as the emergency number, plus 113 for traffic accidents and 111 for fire and rescue.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Rwanda, including visitors, who needs the police urgently.
Phone: 112
Email: info@police.gov.rw
Address: P. O. Box 6304 KIGALI - RWANDA
local government
Rwanda Development Board (RDB)
Helps with: Rwanda's national development agency, which also promotes tourism through the Visit Rwanda website. Its listed contact line takes general questions; it is not an emergency service.
Who qualifies: Anyone with questions about visiting Rwanda or planning a trip there.
Phone: 1415
Email: info@rdb.rw
Address: KN 69 Street, Kigali
ngo
Rwanda Red Cross
Helps with: Rwanda's national Red Cross society. Its work includes disaster response, first aid and health care, restoring family links for separated families, and blood donation drives.
Who qualifies: People in Rwanda who need its first aid, health, family-links or disaster help services.
Phone: +250 788 457 617
Email: rrcs@redcross.org.rw
Address: KG 15 Ave, Kacyiru, Kigali, Rwanda
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Rwanda
Helps with: The UN migration agency. In Rwanda it supports the government on migration, and its work covers migrants in vulnerable situations and survivors of trafficking.
Who qualifies: Migrants in Rwanda, especially vulnerable migrants and trafficking survivors. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +250 788 389 723
Email: iomrwanda@iom.int
Address: KG 227 28 St, Amarembo, Nyabisindu Cell, Remera, P.O. Box 1126, Kigali, Rwanda
local government
Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA)
Helps with: Rwanda's emergency management ministry, which coordinates disaster response and recovery. Its page lists the toll-free number 170 and an email address.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Rwanda affected by a disaster or needing to report one.
Phone: 170
Email: info@minema.gov.rw
embassy
Foreign embassies in Rwanda (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The ministry's page says 47 missions are based in Kigali and links PDF lists of them.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or consulate.