Fishermen pass the beach at dusk in three-hulled wooden canoes, singing in time with their paddles. The water holds no crocodiles, so guests swim off the sand. Lake Kivu Serena Hotel occupies a stretch of pale shore at Gisenyi in western Rwanda, roughly 160km from Kigali, and the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo is walking distance away.
The water holds no crocodiles, so guests swim off the sand.
Palm, lawn and mature garden run down to the water, and a free-form pool sits on the terrace above. To the north, the Virunga volcanoes cut the skyline; across the water, the green hills of the Congolese shore. Volcanoes National Park lies one to two hours’ drive away, which makes this a place to sit still for a day or two after a morning of gorilla trekking.
Breakfast is a long buffet in the Kiyaga Restaurant, the windows open to the pool and the lawns, and lunch is taken indoors or out on the terraces. Dinner moves down to the Ziwani Café on the sand, where grilled fish arrives as musicians from neighbouring villages play the light out. Isambaza, a small sardine-like fish, comes crisp-fried alongside tilapia.
Dinner moves down to the Ziwani Café on the sand
Guided cruises leave the beach for the coves and islands further south, kayaks and canoes are pulled off the sand at will, and there is isambaza fishing for anyone who wants it. Guided walks climb Rubavu Mountain for the long view down the lake, and bicycles are there for the shoreline tracks. Inland there are tennis courts, a gym and a spa, and a stretch of sand given over to volleyball.
The hotel opened in 2003 as the Kivu Sun, managed by South Africa’s Southern Sun Hotels, and it carried that name until February 2007, when a long-term concession from the Rwandan government transferred it to Serena Hotels. A refurbishment programme followed, converting the property into a lakeside spa resort. What emerged is deliberately low-key. Low white buildings sit back under the palms, so it is the gardens rather than the architecture that dominate the approach, and the sand in front of them stays private to the hotel.
The lobby is high-ceilinged and open to the breeze, finished in local stone and timber and hung with woven pieces and Rwandan artwork, while the bedroom furniture runs to polished dark wood and neutral cloth. Every public room turns outward, so the lake is always in the corner of the eye. The effect is cool and unhurried, a building content to get out of the way of its setting. Weavers, sunbirds and kingfishers work the mature trees between the terraces and the shore, and the lawns carry guests down to the water all day.
Mornings begin with mist lifting off flat water and the Congolese hills green beyond.
Nights are quiet enough that the lake does the talking, small waves turning over on sand a few metres from the ground-floor patios. Mornings begin with mist lifting off flat water and the Congolese hills green beyond, and on clear days the Virunga cones stand hard against the sky to the north. The hotel also takes conferences and weekend weddings, so the beach and gardens can fill at times. Many guests arrive from Volcanoes National Park wanting exactly this: a day of swimming, reading and little else.
Beyond the gardens, guided walks take in Gisenyi’s markets and streets, and the coffee estates at Kinunu and Cyimbili open for tastings and a look through the processing sheds. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park can be done as a day trip, with permits and guides handled by the park authorities, and the minimum trekking age is fifteen, though the hotel itself suits younger children well. Kigali is a three to four hour drive away, or a flight to the Gisenyi airstrip.
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accommodation
Sixty-six rooms and suites fill the low white blocks, all with air conditioning, satellite television and bathrooms with tub and shower. Standard and superior rooms have balconies or ground-floor patios facing pool, garden or lake; family rooms take two double beds; the suites add a sitting room and a lake-facing veranda.
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activities
Swimming in the lake and the tiered pool, guided boat cruises to southern coves and islands, kayaking and canoeing from the private beach, isambaza fishing, tennis, beach volleyball, cycling and the spa. Off site: Gisenyi walking tours, coffee estate visits, and gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park under park permit.
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conservation
Serena has planted 6.7 million trees across its hotels in Africa since 1991. Staff, guests, students and neighbouring communities do the planting rather than it being contracted out, and the programme favours native species. It is a group-wide effort that this hotel takes part in.
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