Tchegera Island

Tchegera is the rim of a submerged volcanic crater in Lake Kivu, a narrow crescent of land with beaches on the inside curve and a view north to the Virunga volcanoes. It sits within Virunga National Park and is run by the park as a small tented camp, with kayaking, swimming and birdlife the whole of the programme. Lake Kivu holds no crocodiles or hippos in these waters, which makes it one of very few African lakes people swim in without qualification.

History

Tchegera, a U-shaped volcanic caldera island in the north-west of Lake Kivu, forms the south-western edge of Virunga National Park and is the park's only part in South Kivu. It opened to the public on 22 August 2015, when the Congolese conservation institute ICCN unveiled four new activities in the park, having built about six safari-style tents inspired by Bantu building traditions, a restaurant and a conference space, powered by solar panels and biogas, with drinking water from reverse osmosis. In January 2016 the New York Times put Virunga 19th on its list of 52 places to go that year, naming Tchegera as a place to watch eagles and herons (Wikipedia, Tchegera Island).

What's there

• The crescent - the rim of a drowned crater forming a curved island with beaches inside it.
• The volcano view - Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira on the northern horizon, glowing after dark.
• The swimming - clear lake water, free of the hazards that rule out most African lakes.
• The birds - fish eagles, cormorants and kingfishers around the shoreline.

When to go

The drier windows, June to September and December to February, are calmest on the lake and clearest for the volcano view. The crossing from Goma can be rough in wind. The camp operates seasonally and by booking.

Before you go

Everything here runs through the park authority and the island is not open to independent visits. The camp is tented and simple, and the price reflects the logistics rather than the facilities. Boat crossings are weather-dependent and can be delayed.

Nearby

Goma is an hour across the water, and Virunga National Park runs north from the lake shore.

Key facts