Rwanda Congo Nile Scenic Road: Gisenyi to Nyungwe

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Gisenyi

   Two countries share one shoreline here, and the border runs between the beach bars. Gisenyi, now officially Rubavu, is Rwanda's lakeside resort on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, and the Congolese city of Goma starts a few kilometres across the line, under the dark cone of Nyiragongo. The volcano is the dominant fact of the landscape: its 2002 eruption sent lava through Goma, and its crater holds one of the world's largest lava lakes, glowing red at night when the sky is clear. Cross-border crowds, market women with baskets on their heads and boda riders weaving between them give the town a restless energy.

   Read the complete Gisenyi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Gisenyi is where the day begins. Next is Kibuye.

2. 2. Kibuye

   Kibuye sits on the shore of Lake Kivu in western Rwanda, and the setting is the best argument for coming. The lake is long, deep and hemmed in by steep green hills, with a coast of small bays and peninsulas and islands covered in forest. On a calm morning the water is a sheet of pewter and fishermen paddle out in wooden boats lashed together in threes, their nets draped across long poles. The town, called Karongi in official use, is a quiet place with a small harbour, a few hotels and a handful of lakeside cafes.

   Read the complete Kibuye write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Kibuye comes up about 92 km into the recorded legs. Next is Nyungwe.

3. 3. Nyungwe

   Nyungwe is the largest surviving block of montane rainforest in East and Central Africa, and the road that crosses it, running from Rusizi on Lake Kivu toward Huye, is one of the most atmospheric rides in the continent. The forest covers about a thousand square kilometres of steep hills, and it is very old, having survived the ice ages when other forests shrank, which is why it holds such an abundance of life. There are thirteen species of primates here, including chimpanzees and large troops of Angolan colobus monkeys, which often sit by the road, and more than three hundred species of birds.

   Read the complete Nyungwe write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 206 km.