The magical scenery of Rwanda's twin lakes

As far as natural beauty goes, I am yet to find a place in Rwanda that beats the Northern Province. The caves, mountain climbing and gorilla trekking activities aside, the twin lakes; Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo are a must see. The mystery, which also makes it magical, is how a lake flows into another lake. As it happens, Lake Burera is almost 150 meters higher than Lake Ruhondo. Going around the lakes is quite a journey and to be able to see both lakes, especially the part where one lake flows into another requires an aerial view. To see the twin lakes, we went to Virunga Lodge, one of the most expensive places in Rwanda, (that’s a story for another day) and the view was awesome. The terrain to Virunga Lodge is rough, rocky and difficult to maneuver but with a 4x4 car, it shouldn’t be a problem. We drove 20km from town to Virunga Lodge since it is situated on a point where the lakes can be seen but the middle part where Ntaruka dam is situated can’t be seen. In the far left corner where Lake Burera begins, there’s Mukungwa dam which flows into Lake Burera. From Virunga lodge, one can see the mountains, Muhabura, Gahinga, Sabyinyo and Bisoke. Mt. Karisimbi is not visible from this point because it’s slightly behind Mt. Bisoke. These breathtaking lakes are located at the base of Mt. Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. The hills give a superb view coupled with the sight of the waterfalls. Lake Ruhondo and Lake Burera occupy an area of around 3000 ha. To get a better view of the two water bodies, we drove towards town and entered a dusty road, some 20km to a small trading center of Kirambo to see where the water that goes into Mukungwa comes from. Standing over a bridge, we notice from afar the difference between the two lakes in terms of levels and also find out that the water comes from a swamp. The swamp that is full of ridges produces black water, which looks like oil and joins with laterite coloured water and then flows into Lake Burera via Mukungwa dam. The scenery around the lakes is spectacular; the land is terraced and surrounded by farmlands. In the middle of these two lakes, there are islands with inhabitants whose primary occupation is fishing. However, we were told that residents at the islands were being relocated in order to make the lakes a touristic attraction. Visitors to the lakes can also take canoe rides while enjoying the sight of different species of birds.

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The magical scenery of Rwanda's twin lakes