Nyamyumba Hot Springs

At Nyamyumba, geothermal water comes out of the ground at the edge of Lake Kivu at around seventy degrees, hot enough that people boil eggs and cassava in it and sell them at the roadside. Shallow pools have been built where the water cools to a bearable temperature and locals sit in them for the mineral content. It is a working local spot rather than a spa, on the lake road between Rubavu and Karongi.

Background

Locally the springs are known by the Kinyarwanda name Amashyuza. They lie in Nyamyumba Sector of Rubavu District, 7 km from Gisenyi, a town also called Rubavu. Geothermal heat reaches the water because the site lies close to the Virunga volcanic complex, within the western arm of the East African Rift System, and at times the water boils. The two pools are called "male" and "female", a local custom based on areas once reserved for men and for women. A 2022 study classed the water as the Na-HCO₃ type, richer in dissolved minerals than the neighbouring lake, as hot water moving through the rift dissolves the host rocks.

Source: Wikipedia, "Nyamyumba Hot Springs"

What you'll find

• The springs - water emerging at around seventy degrees at the lake edge.
• The bathing pools - shallow basins where the water has cooled enough to sit in.
• The cooking - eggs and cassava boiled in the spring water and sold on the spot.
• The lake shore - Kivu directly alongside the springs.

When to go

June to September and December to February are the drier windows. Weekends bring the most local visitors. The site operates through the day.

Before you go

The water at the source is hot enough to scald and there are no barriers. Facilities are minimal with nowhere proper to change. Litter around the pools is a problem.

Nearby

Rubavu is north along the shore, and Karongi is south.

Key facts