Four-star Gisenyi, on the lakeshore, Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
Sixty-six rooms in gardens on the shore of Lake Kivu at Gisenyi, with a beach for guests, an eighteen-metre pool and the Congolese border two kilometres away.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rooms
- 66, including six suites
- Serena since
- February 2007
- On the water
- A beach kept for hotel guests
- From the airport
- About 155 km by road from Kigali
The hotel
A lakeshore hotel at the border.
Gisenyi is Rwanda's resort town on Lake Kivu, facing the Congolese city of Goma across a border two kilometres from the hotel. The building began life as the Kivu Sun Hotel, a four-star hotel of 72 rooms. In February 2007 Serena Hotels took it over on a thirty-year lease from the Rwandan government, and renamed it the Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.
Today there are sixty-six rooms set in gardens that run down to the water. Palms shade an eighteen-metre pool, and a strip of sand in front of the hotel is kept for guests, with kayaks and paddleboards for the lake. The Maisha Spa, a gym and tennis courts fill the afternoons, and Volcanoes National Park is about three quarters of an hour away by car.
- The beach A private stretch of sand on Lake Kivu with kayaks and paddleboards, and boat rides or jet skis for a charge.
- Pool and spa An eighteen-metre pool with a sundeck and a plunge pool, the Maisha Spa, a gym and tennis courts.
- Day trips The Amashuza hot springs about fifteen minutes away, and Volcanoes National Park in about forty-five.
Rooms & suites
Gardens running down to the lake.
Three kinds of room, with one adapted for guests with limited mobility.
- Rooms Superior Room About 23 square metres, with a queen bed, for two.
- Families Family Room About 25 square metres, with two queen beds, for two adults and two children.
- Suites Suite About 40 square metres, with a king bed, a separate sitting room, a guest washroom and a veranda.
Dining
On the lakefront and on the sand.
Venues as listed by the hotel. Shown for information.
- Kiyaga Restaurant Breakfast and dining on the lakefront Overlooking Lake Kivu
- Lake View Bar Snacks by day, dinner from 6 pm By the pool, with themed buffets on Friday and Saturday
- Ziwani Café Cocktails and snacks On the beach, with live music from 5 pm
Good to know
Before you go.
- Families Twenty-three family rooms take two adults and two children each.
- The border Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is about two kilometres away. Check current travel advice before planning a crossing.
Getting there
Flying to Lake Kivu.
Long-haul flights and private jets land at Kigali International, about 155 kilometres from Gisenyi; the drive takes roughly three and a half hours, our estimate. Gisenyi has a small airfield with a runway of about a thousand metres for light aircraft, and Akagera Aviation flies helicopter charters from Kigali.
- Nairobi 1 h 20
- Zanzibar 1 h 50
- Seychelles 4 h 05
- Dubai 5 h 40
- Paris 8 h 35 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- Does Lake Kivu Serena Hotel have a beach?
- Yes. The hotel has a stretch of beach on Lake Kivu kept for its guests, with kayaks and paddleboards.
- How far is Lake Kivu Serena from Kigali?
- Gisenyi is about 155 kilometres from Kigali. By our estimate the drive takes around three and a half hours; a helicopter is much quicker.
- Can you visit the gorillas from Lake Kivu Serena?
- Volcanoes National Park is about forty-five minutes away by car, according to the hotel, so a day trip is possible with an early start.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Lake Kivu?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Lake Kivu, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Staying at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Lake Kivu, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.