Discover Musanze: Water, Movement and History

Musanze offers several kinds of active travel experiences. Activities in the Twin Lakes area include kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, boat trips, trekking and mountain biking. The area lies in the Musanze and Burera districts. There are also social and conservation-related themes, as well as caves and history in the Northern Province. For your trip, this gives you a choice between water, activity, and regional cultural and historical themes.

Twin Lakes: Water and Activity

Activities in the Twin Lakes area range from kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and boating to trekking and mountain biking. For a focus on water, you can rent kayaks and canoes there; guided tours can also be arranged. Check the availability of these options before your trip. The combination makes choosing between a day on the water and a more active programme on land an obvious point to consider when planning. If you are still weighing up which experiences you prefer, a simple question can help: does paddling and boating, or trekking and cycling, fit your travel plans better?

Tourism, Conservation and Community Development

Red Rocks Rwanda is a social enterprise that brings together tourism, conservation and sustainable community development. This gives Musanze a social and conservation-related dimension alongside its outdoor activities. For travellers who do not judge a destination solely by its leisure activities, this combination offers a distinct point of interest.

Northern Province: Caves and History

In the Northern Province, the wider destination, Musanze Cave brings together natural and historical themes. The cave is 2 km long and is the most frequently visited. For many centuries, it served as a refuge during wartime; during the genocide, it was the site of a massacre. The Northern Province has 52 caves, with a total of 15.2 km of cave passages; most of the caves formed in Cenozoic volcanic rock. The figures show two different scales: 2 km for Musanze Cave and 15.2 km for the passages in all 52 caves in the Northern Province.

The region’s history also takes different forms. In Gicumbi District in the Northern Province, the Rwanda Liberation Museum, also known as Umulindi w'Intwari, tells the story of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF Inkotanyi) liberation struggle. On its first trek in 2019, the Walk to Stop Genocide covered 90 km in four days, from Mulindi in the Northern Province to Kigali.

Choose the Right Focus for Your Trip

When looking for a holiday rental in Musanze, the distinction between the different focuses can help: the Twin Lakes area offers water activities and movement on land, while the cave, museum and Walk to Stop Genocide point to natural and historical themes in the Northern Province.

Discover other places: Ruhengeri, Kinigi, Nyakinama.

For the wider travel overview: Northern Province.