The five volcanic lakes; Kivu, Bulera, Ruhondo, Bunyonyi and Mutanda, on the borders of Rwanda and Uganda have their own special attractions.
Lake Kivu, on the Rwanda/Congo border, the largest, is like a giant inland sea with some interesting lakeside towns. Kibuye, two hours from Kigali, is a relaxing retreat for swimming, canoeing and water-skiing. Gisenyi, a famous resort in the past, now has a sleepy forgotten air with some fine but neglected buildings from the Belgian era.
The twin lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo are attractive places to visit after gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcan in Rwanda. The emerald green Mutanda, in Uganda, with its distinctive hump-back islands, seen in the distance from Mgahinga, has a pristine beauty. Toyo Island, a private island in the lake, wild and unspoiled, is reached by dug-out canoe. The finger-like Bunyonyi literally "a place of little birds” lies among steeply terraced hillsides near the hill town of Kabale; it is an ideal stopping point on the way to Uganda if combining the two countries.