Bukavu

Bukavu spreads across five hilly peninsulas reaching into the southern end of Lake Kivu, which gives it water on almost every side and views from most of it. Built up in the colonial period as a hill station, it kept a stock of art deco and modernist villas along the ridges, many of them now subdivided or decaying. The altitude of around fifteen hundred metres keeps the climate mild. The lake below is deep, and the city works as the base for Kahuzi-Biega and the country south of it.

What you actually see

• The peninsulas - five ridges running into the lake, with the city built across them.
• The colonial villas - art deco and modernist houses along the ridges, in varying condition.
• The lake views - water on both sides from most of the higher streets.
• The cathedral - Notre-Dame de la Paix, a modernist church of the 1940s.

When to go

June to September and December to February are the drier windows. The altitude keeps temperatures moderate all year. Rain in the wet season is heavy and the steep streets drain badly.

Honest expectations

Roads are in poor condition and the hills make walking hard work. Infrastructure is limited and power cuts are routine. Movement is arranged through local contacts, and the city has little in the way of visitor facilities.

Nearby

Kahuzi-Biega National Park is west of the city, and Lwiro is north on the Goma road.