The land of a thousand hills is an excellent destination for off-the-beaten-track cycling, with almost endless trails and roads crisscrossing the country. Exploring Rwanda’s countryside on a bike is an authentic and rewarding chance to interact with the rural population, with a huge dose of natural beauty.
Without a doubt, the greatest route is the Congo Trail a 227km itinerary which runs roughly parallel to the eastern shore of Lake Kivu. Starting in Rubavu and ending in Rusizi, the journey takes about five days, although it is possible to do single stages for those with less time or dedication.
SHORT TRIPS IN RWANDA
39km Tour de Kigali
60km Musanze to Gisenyi
161km Musanze
79km Ruhengeri Tourism Trophy
37km Kigali Loop
84km Kibuye to Gitarama
107km Gisenyi to Kibuye
124km Kibuye to Kigali
Itinerary
Day 1 :
Arrival in Kigali
This day, you will be met and picked up from Kanombe International Airport by your guide. You will be transferred to Rhino Lodge in the Akagera destination, relax and recover from your flight.
Overnight at Rhino Lodge
Day 2 :
Riding from Rhino Lodge to Lake Muhazi destination
After an early morning breakfast in the lodge, we will depart from the lodge and ride northwards towards Lake Muhazi destination.Along the way, we shall enjoy the sign of true African jungle as we may have a great chance of spotting some of the animals in the Akagera National Park.We shall have stopovers to have our snacks and freshen up as we keep enjoying the beauty of our country. We shall continue our biking until we get to Lake Muhazi. We shall stay at Muhazi Beach Resort
Day 3 :
Muhazi - Byiza Lodge
Having taken an early morning breakfast, we will have our packed lunch and snacks well fixed. We shall ride and take a northerly direction as we enjoy those scenic views of the eastern plains before the terrain eventually turns into gentle rolling hills and later mountainous.It will get tough as we proceed northwards until we finally reach Byiza Lodge with perfect views of the Twin Lakes.Dinner and overnight at Byiza lodge
Day 4 :
BIKE FROM BYIZA LODGE TO MUSANZE CLASSIC HOTEL
After breakfast, we shall check out from Byiza Lodge and cycle towards Musanze. We shall check in at Musanze Classic hotel for our overnight stay. We shall then freshen up before having our lunch. We will then go for caving. Caving will take around 50 minutes and thereafter, we go back to Musanze town. We will have a city tour and get acquainted of the place. We can enjoy a cup of coffee at one of the coffee shops around Musanze and then go back to Musanze Classic hotel.
Day 5 :
BIKE KINIGI-GISENYI
After taking an early morning breakfast, we shall drive for about 40 minutes to the starting point in Kinigi.We shall embark on our biking towards the East. We will ride through very good and impressive hills towards Gisenyi. On reaching Gisenyi, we shall drive for 20 minutes to Hakuna Matata hotel for overnight.
Day 6 :
TRANSFER FROM GISENYI TO KARONGI
Today we will wake up late, have breakfast and then drive to Karongi.Along the way you will enjoy charming landscapes, have stop-overs freely taking photos. Enjoy a local dish in Karongi town and thereafter check in at Rwiza Village.In the afternoon, we will do Karongi city tour on foot.Note: Here, we shall drive all through to Karongi as this is the part of CONGO NILE TRAIL that you had done before.Overnight at Rwiza Village
Day 7 :
TRANSFER FROM KARONGI TO GISAKURA
On this day, after an early morning breakfast, we will have our packed lunch and then drive for 40 minutes and thereafter jump onto our bikes. We will cycle for about 5 hours. This is a very interesting ride in that we shall by-pass a very huge refugee camp, a very huge tea estate called Kisovu Tea Estate as we enjoy titillating sharp corners over hanging Lake Kivu on one side, Congo Nile Crest on the other side and finally our last part of the ride we will go through a good part of Nyungwe National Park and then Gisakura.Check in and overnight at Nyungwe Hill Top View hotel.
Day 8 :
TRANSFER FROM GISAKURA TO RUSIZI/ KAMEMBE TOWN
Today we shall cycle all the way to Kamembe town in Rusizi. This is one of the most important towns of Rwanda in terms of trade and business as it is 2 kilometers from Bukavu in Congo. We shall have lunch in Kamembe town and later go down to Lake Kivu and check in at Emeraud Kivu Resort for the night.
Day 9 :
TRANSFER FROM KAMEMMBE TO BUGARAMA THROUGH MURURU
Today, we shall ride through Rusizi district headquarters and then continue through the numerous hills of Mururu until we get down to Bugarama Sector. Bugarama is the hottest part of the country and that's where the lowest point was recorded (950m asl). It is a strategic place in that it stands at the border between three countries Rwanda, Burundi and Congo. Overnight at Trans Great Lake hotel.
Day 10 :
TRANSFER FROM BUGARAMA TO GISAKURA TO RUSIZI/ KAMEMBE TOWN
Today we will drive to Kigali through Butare and Nyanza. On reaching Butare, we shall visit the Ethnographic Museum, later we will bike from Butare and connect with Nyanza. We will have our lunch and visit the Kings Palace Museum where we shall enjoy super stories about the Kings and kingdoms in Rwanda. Thereafter, we shall drive straight to Kigali.
Day 11 :
AT LEISURE IN KIGALI
Wake up late after recovering from the long tour, have breakfast, do Kigali city tour (can visit Parliamentary Museum where we shall get to learn about how genocide was stopped).After lunch, we shall drive to Mount Jali to have the view of the city and then transfer you to the airport where the adventure endsThese can be day trips or we can tailor some of them to be multi-day cycling trip.