Rusumo Falls

At Rusumo the Kagera river, one of the headwaters of the Nile, is squeezed through a narrow gap in the rock and drops in a broad brown fall, powerful rather than tall. The border bridge crosses immediately above it, which is where visitors look down from. A hydroelectric scheme built jointly by Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi now takes water from the river here, which has changed the flow.

Background

The falls drop approximately 15 m (49 ft) and spread about 40 m (130 ft) across, over a bed of Precambrian schists and quartz-phyllites. The Kagera here belongs to the most distant headwaters of the Nile. Modest in height, the site still mattered in the history of Rwanda, because it offered the only place to bridge the river in that area. The Regional Rusumo Falls Hydropower Project won funding approval from the African Development Bank Group in 2024. It pairs an 80 MW generating plant with transmission lines and substations, adding renewable power and electricity access in Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

Source: Wikipedia, "Rusumo Falls"

What you'll find

• The falls - the Kagera forced through a rock gap and dropping in a broad sheet.
• The bridge view - the crossing directly above the fall.
• The Kagera - one of the furthest headwaters of the Nile system.
• The hydro scheme - the regional power project built on the river here.

When to go

March to May and September to November, the rainy seasons, give the strongest flow. The dry months and the hydro abstraction reduce it. Mornings are the best light.

What to expect

This is an active border post and photography near the crossing is restricted; asking before taking pictures matters. The hydro scheme has reduced the flow from what older photographs show. There are no visitor facilities.

Nearby

Kibungo is northwest, and Akagera National Park is north.

Key facts