The Congo Nile Trail Experience in Rwanda.

The Congo Nile Trail, which spans over 227 km along Lake Kivu with stunning views of the lake and the countryside of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is located in the south-eastern region of Rwanda. The Congo Nile Trail traverses the Kivu region as it stretches from Rubavu, passes through Rutsiro, continues via Karongi, goes up to Nyamasheke, and finally terminates in the Rusizi District, which is close to Nyungwe Forest National Park.

The Congo Nile Trail offers amazing adventure, with fantastic counteracting moments, full of surprises, as one travels up and down Rwanda’s famed hills. The highest hill is 1,887 metres, while the lowest is 1,460 metres.

If you enjoy riding a bike and always want to explore the countryside, Rwanda has nothing better to offer you than the Congo Nile Trail. On this route, you can experience the countryside in all gears as you travel along the winding country roads, passing through verdant farm yards and plantations, and interacting with locals as they go about their daily lives.

Bicyclists and hikers frequently go across the countryside using the same natural routes that run through the settlement. As you snap stunning images of the lake and its inhabitants, the trek is made more pleasurable and gratifying by the backdrop provided by Lake Kivu.

On the Congo Nile Trail, when you climb or ride your bike, you will eventually come across school-age youngsters from the community, who will jubilantly shout “Muzungu” and have a lot of shouting grins on their faces.

The experience is really genuine, even though local tourism is beginning to increase. Now that the Congo Nile Trail is more widely known, many tourists are beginning to plan their journeys to Rwanda with short day excursions along it. Some people might embark on a day trip along the Congo Nile path, while others could choose to trek or bike the path for two or three days.

Some people could attempt the full trek while hiking for five or more days and taking in the stunning scenery. A complete bicycling trip down the Congo Nile takes 5 to 6 days, but a complete trekking trip takes 7 to 10 days.

You may begin the path from any location of your choosing, and a day trip is also an option if you only want to see a portion of the Congo Nile path. The path has three rest stops where you may unwind, and there are beaches nearby if you’d want to experience beach life.

The path has been improved, and there is more signage along it to help hikers, even though local guides are fully aware of all the nuances due to the increased interest and demand from numerous tourists.

The majority of cyclists and hikers start out from Gisenyi and travel through Kinunu. Some stop at Kibuye and connect to Kamembe to take a boat back to Gisenyi, while others continue on their journey to Rusizi. The Three Fishermen boats on Lake Kivu may be seen quite well while travelling along the Congo Nile Trail, since you can see them parked there during the day.

As part of the coffee tour at Kinunu, you may take part in a local crop to cup coffee experience, discover how coffee is actually manufactured, and taste some freshly brewed organic coffee.

Road maps are available to aid you along the trip, and if you ever need assistance, the locals are always happy to help. While the bulk of them scarcely speak English, some do their best to learn French.

You shouldn’t underestimate the Congo Nile Trail since there are some really difficult sections of the path. You must be in decent physical condition.