The Unforgettable 4-Day Congo Nile Trail Hike Tour in Rwanda

The Amazing Congo Nile Trail Hike Safari Package

Experience the unforgettable 4-Day Congo Nile Trail Hike in Rwanda. Join the Congo Nile Trail Hike for scenic lakeside views, local culture, and adventure.

Hikers depart from Gisenyi (Rubavu) to start the unforgettable Congo Nile Trail Hike and follow the southern shore of Lake Kivu, beginning with a brief stop at the Bralirwa brewery, Rwanda’s largest. The trail winds along the water’s edge, offering views of anchored fishing boats and traditional lakeside scenery. By late afternoon, the group arrives in Cyimbili village, where the first guesthouse, a simple, church-run lodge set on a sandy beach, awaits. Visitors have the opportunity to engage with the welcoming farming community, watch a cultural performance, and experience a herbalist demonstration, all while enjoying the spectacular sunset illuminating Lake Kivu’s hills and waters.

For those seeking an extra cultural experience, an optional traditional coffee-roasting session is offered, allowing guests to participate in the full crop-to-cup process: harvesting, roasting, grinding, and brewing coffee by hand over an open fire. This immersive introduction to Rwandan traditions provides a perfect balance of scenic beauty, cultural exchange, and relaxation, setting the tone for the rest of the multi-day Lake Kivu trek. Book your Congo Nile Trail Hike with JimJam Safaris Africa.

Detailed Itinerary: 4-Day Congo Nile Trail Hike Tour

Day 1: Gisenyi to Cyimbili guest house

On Day 1, hikers begin in Gisenyi/Rubavu at the Bralirwa brewery (often called “the brasserie”) and immediately climb into the hills overlooking Lake Kivu. The route keeps the lake on your right through rolling farmland and lakeside villages, where banana and coffee fields spread on the hillsides and fishermen prepare their dugout canoes along the shore. After passing a small church and rural settlements, you arrive mid-afternoon at Cyimbili Basecamp, a modest church-run guesthouse right on a sandy Kivu beach. The sunset here is spectacular as local children and farmers gather at the shore and herbalist groups demonstrate traditional practices. (An extra activity in Cyimbili can be a hands-on coffee-roasting session with villagers, or joining them on a late-afternoon canoe to try traditional net fishing.) A good overnight at Cyimbili sets you up for the trek ahead.

• Total effective walking distance: 15km
• Overnight at Cyimbili guest house
• Extra activity: Traditional coffee roasting experience

Day 2: Cyimbili to Kinunu

On Day 2, following a hearty breakfast, the trail leads east to the fishing village of Nkora. Here you will see fishermen mending nets and a loading barge on the lake, while children play by the water. The path then climbs through more plantation country, coffee terraces, and banana groves line the shore, heading toward Kinunu. Midday brings you to the Kinunu washing station and guest house, the second base camp. Kinunu Guest House is noted as quite comfortable (clean rooms with private bathrooms), and the nearby farm allows you to observe the whole coffee bean process from seedling to roasted cup. In the afternoon, you can relax on the shore or stroll through the fields before dinner at the second lakeside camp.

• Total effective walking distance: 14km
• Overnight at kinunu Guest house
• Extra activity: boat ride to the Bugarura habitat island

Day 3: Kinunu to Bumba Guest

Day 3 starts with Kinunu behind you and a steady climb into the hills. Early on, the trail passes the Kinunu Catholic Church and then threads between more banana and coffee fields. You will stop at the Bwimana (Musasa) coffee washing station, a small plantation facility where locals process beans, before crossing the fast-flowing Koko River (the sandboat crossing point used for nearby cement factories). After the river, the path goes uphill to Bumba Basecamp, perched on a ridge (~1460 m elevation) with stunning views over Lake Kivu (bay of Kibuye). This is a very quiet, basic camp: the simple wooden lodging is run by the local pastor, and you may see village children or farmers at the football pitch near the summit.

• Total effective walking distance: 24km
• Overnight at Bumba Guest House

Day 4: Bumba Guest to Rubengera ( Kibuye)

On Day 4, hikers descend from Bumba through patchwork fields toward the asphalt highway at Rubengera Junction. At the junction, a shared taxi or local bus carries you the last few kilometers into Kibuye (now called Karongi), the district town on Lake Kivu. You end the day at a comfortable lakeside hotel or guesthouse in Kibuye. Optional extras abound: take a late-afternoon boat cruise around Kivu’s green islands or nearby Nkombo Island. Locals also offer night fishing trips on the lake (pulling in tilapia or sambaza nets by lantern light). Perhaps most unforgettable is witnessing the Ankole cows being driven and swimming across Kivu to island pastures, a centuries-old tradition of the lake region. These cultural excursions provide a fitting end to the four‑day adventure along Rwanda’s Congo Nile Trail.

• Total effective walking distance: 16km
• Extra activity: optional boat ride to the islands, traditional night fishing, or swimming with cows

End of your 4-Day Congo Nile Trail Hike Tour