How Safe Is the Congo Nile Trail in 2025?
In recent months there have been concerns about security in the area around Lake Kivu. News from DR Congo has cast a shadow over what…
Lake Kivu /Rwanda, DR Congo/
altitude: 1,460 m/4,790 ft
max length – width: 89 km/55 mi – 48 km/30 mi
depth: 480 m/1,575 ft
In the very corner of the Gorilla Highlands region extensive sandy beaches and tropical vegetation hint at a sea — only lack of salt in the water may attest to Kivu being a lake. Its Rwandan coast offers a remarkable 11-day hiking route, the Congo Nile Trail.
Lake Kivu is unusual for its methane concentrations that are both potentially dangerous and very useful for power generation. A major beneficiary of this energy is Bralirwa, Rwanda’s only brewery. This is Africa’s eighth biggest lake that includes the tenth biggest island, Idjwi.
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