We booked to do the sunset kayak from Gisenyi and we had such a fantastic evening paddle. We saw a beautiful sunset as we were paddling out over the mountains and on the way back in the traditional fishing boats came past us, singing and waving. It was great. Really good guide and all four of us had a great time. Thank you

If you're looking for an enjoyable way to experience Lake Kivu, I highly recommend booking a kayak tour with Kingfisher Journeys. They offer hourly rentals, as well as half-day, full-day and evening tours (with a guide), with prices starting around $40 depending on which tour you choose (and depending on your residency). The company is professional and quick to respond to emails; the kayaks are high-quality; and the guide we had was excellent. He was really knowledgeable about the area, the volcanoes that surround the lake, good restaurants in Gisenyi, and more. What a treat! No complaints at all--had a great time doing the half-day (morning) kayak tour from about 8am to 11:30am. Be sure to wear sunscreen, since even in the morning, the sun can be pretty strong.

I stumbled across another traveler who had met Steve, of Kingfisher Journeys, who was getting a group together to help train Alois, a new kayaking guide, in the finer points of paddling, safety procedures and customer service. Our job was to act out scenarios that a guide may face during a trip, as we purposely rolled kayaks, faked a heart attack and otherwise caused havoc. It's clear that Steve takes a lot of pride in his work and wants to put the best product out there for his clients. So not only was the quality training evident, but a very enjoyable time is assured. And Alois is well on his way to being a great guide!

We were able to go canoeing on Lake Kivu for free while Steve trained one of his staff Eloi. It was really good fun exploring the lake and interesting to see them practice the safety side of things (broken bones to heart attacks) as we were the test dummies. They knew what they were doing and I would 100% recommend.

Wonderful evening, paddling on Kivu lake. the weather had been rainy during the afternoon, but the company told the evening would be nice. they were right: the canoe trip was a very exciting event, around small islands and along the coast, with a superb sunset. the guide, Francis, spoke excellent French (which was good, since my English is poor) and had many things to tell about the surroundings. He was very careful about security and comfort. Two days later, we had a walking trip around the beautiful Ruhondo lake, with guide Eloi. Again, the guide was excellent, knowing perfectly the contry. We met local people, could see beautiful birds and finished with a lunch in a lovely hotel near the lake. The company was very professional, with quick answers to question, and the generous offer to replace canoe trip by walking, since other people in the group were afraid by the weather. I encourage everybody wishing to spend pleasant time in Northern Kivu to hav a look at Kingfisher activities.

Kingfisher Journey's customer service is excellent. Not only were emails responded to quickly and helpfully but when (with huge regret) we had to cancel our kayaking plans, the company kindly refunded the full fee (even though this goes against their own booking conditions). We look forward to returning to Rwanda next year, when I hope we can rebook with Kingfisher Journeys