Kivu

Believe it or not, this place has resorts! We stayed at one on the Rwanda side – a retreat center for missionaries, but the place was built like a resort on the French Riviera. The food wasn’t very good but the scenery was stunning. The room (suite) was comfortable and tastefully decorated. The mattress was foam (they don’t really have good mattresses in the middle of Africa) but comfy.

It is completely safe to swim here due to high levels of methane in the water. No parasites, no large animals like crocodiles or hippos to endanger you. In the evenings, the fishermen come by in dugout canoes, with huge nets strung from their bows, singing! It is truly idyllic – like a flash back in time when places like the Riviera or (closer to me, Okanagan Lake) weren’t hopelessly overbuilt and developed. Absolutely gorgeous.