Epic Cycle Tour of the Twin Lakes in Rwanda

Musanze is the base town for Volcano National Park, where you can see gorillas and golden monkeys. Beyond the primates, biking through the villages is an incredible activity that starts in town. The Twin Lakes Rwanda bike trail is a gorgeous (and grueling) ride through villages with the backdrop of volcanos to reach the Twin Lakes. We did the ride with Lava Bike Tours and we had an incredible experience.

Read more about what you can do in Musanze.

The Basics of the Twin Lakes Lava Bike Tour

• Budget 4-6 hours for the ride and don’t start later than 11am.
• 45km round-trip bike ride.
• For the Twin Lakes Rwanda cycle tour, there are 2 booking options: one with lunch included (USD 90) and one without (USD 45).
• Payment via cash.
• Self-biking options are available.
• Get in touch via email or WhatsApp with Lava Bikes.

Twin Lakes Rwanda Cycle Tour

If you’re following my 10-day Rwanda Itinerary, then you’ll have just arrived in Musanze from Kigali before heading out on the Twin Lakes cycle tour. The latest you should start this biking adventure is 11am, unless you’re a serious biker and won’t be stopping for lunch. You need all the daylight hours you can get (or at least I did).

The Twin Lakes Rwanda are two lakes, Lake Ruhondo and Lake Bulera, at the base of the surrounding volcanoes. The lakes are actually a result of a volcanic eruption that blocked up the historic river, creating two lakes. Although the top lake used to drain into the other, a pipe was installed by the French for hydropower for the surrounding area. You’ll pass by this on the cycle tour. Lake Ruhondo has boats readily available for rides, whereas you may need to organize a ride in advance at Lake Bulera. Although Google Maps doesn’t show it well, both lakes have islands you can visit.

The Beginning: Villages and Volcanoes

The first part of our journey was my favorite. We met our guide Norbert, and he explained the trail to us. Here is when I found out we were going to bike 45km. I was not aware beforehand…

Our ride took us through several small villages with Norbert leading the way. WOW. The village views with the volcanoes in the background are truly beyond words so I’ll just leave it to these pictures.

The Middle: Twin Lakes Rwanda

Eventually, we reached the convergence point of the twin lakes. One lake at the higher altitude feeds the lake below. We decided to bike up to see the top lake. I couldn’t make it up the mountain and had to walk most of the way. Here we chilled for a bit while Norbert gave us some background on the islands and the people who live there.

We also learned that each village has a sign with the village’s motto as well as its “dos and don’ts” of society. For example, a “do” can be “being proud to be Rwandan” and a “don’t” can be “forbidding a child to go to school (to work instead).”

After I managed to catch my breath, we took the same trail down to take a boat ride out to My Hill Ecolodge for lunch. It’s a must!

My Hill Eco Lodge is incredibly amazing and worth a night’s stay (or two).

Lunch was delicious. Originally, we were not sure if we were able to do the full bike ride that included the bike ride to the top of Lake Bulera and lunch. However, even with my slow pace, we did it so I highly recommend organizing the full tour. We spent an extra RWF 46k at My Hill for fish, beer, water, and drinks for 3 people (us and our guide).

The End

The ride after lunch to Musanze was rough for me. The cycle tour takes a different route back so that you experience different villages. I really wanted a car but we had no options. I was so happy to reach paved ground again.

With me walking most of the way on the uphills, we made it back to Musanze just in time for sunset.

Norbert was an amazing guide and always stopped for me to catch up and walked when I had to walk. Once, he even helped push me up the hill!

What is the Twin Lakes Rwanda trail like?

Uhm, beautiful. But besides that, while you’re in the town at the beginning and end of the cycle tour the road is paved. This is probably just 6km or so.

The remaining 39km is a wild ride up and down dirt roads. However, these are maintained somewhat though the dry dirt can make for a slippery downhill. The mountain bikes are in excellent condition.

Honestly, I had to walk a good portion of the trail when it was too steep or when there were too many rocks.

How tough is the biking?

A small disclaimer must be made that although I think I’m somewhat fit, I probably am not. My morning yoga/stretch does not count as fitness. This was the toughest ride of my life. That said, if I can do it, you probably can too, especially if you have no option for a car to pick you up (because you won’t unless you arrange this in advance). Additionally, this is real mountain biking (which I now realize I don’t actually enjoy because of the essence of what mountain biking is: hills and rocks). But the views made it worth it.

Wilhelm, on the other hand, was hype the entire time and enjoyed every minute. He actually does real fitness activities while I lay in bed.

I can’t bike that far…

If you don’t think you can bike the full trail, make sure to ask for some sort of transportation option back when you organize the trip. I asked halfway through (although I made it in the end) and it was too complicated to arrange. Apparently, the only option was for us to hire two motos and hold the bike between the motos to take it back. I had no choice but to bike. I would have liked a car ride after we had lunch and got back to shore from My Hill Ecolodge…

Muzungu, give me money

Muzungo means ‘white person’ basically. Kids and some adults will yell it at you during your bike ride.

The kids love asking for money from tourists on the trail. They are just excited to see you, though it can get really incessant. Some of the favorite phrases are “give me money,” “muzungo, give me money,” “good money,” (which I think is supposed to be good morning), and “what is your name.”

I liked the “what is your name,” fine enough but they don’t actually want an answer to any of this. Or at least, they didn’t understand my response and or questioning them about their names.

I’m not sure what the right approach is. Sometimes I was too tired to say hi. Other times I said hi back and waved. It’s a long journey and there are kids throughout it.

Some kids may chase after you and just keep at it until they are tired. One used a stick to hit me once (lightly) and others kept touching me randomly. This is just part of it.  You gotta stick it out. If you’re super uncomfortable with this, please tell your guide in advance to assist you with managing the attention.

Other Lava Bike Tours Options

You can hike or bike to the Twin Lakes Rwanda with a guide over one or two days. There are several cycle tour options for the Congo Nile Trail. Check them all out online. You can also just rent a bike and self-bike around the towns and villages. Additionally, you can also go beyond Musanze and choose a 10-day tour of Rwanda.

If you’re interested in hiking around Volcanoes National Park, Norbert is also a local hiking guide. Get in touch with him directly here on insta, via WhatsApp at +250786797771, or email unorbert20@gmail.com.

I know I complained a bit about how tough it is, but this bike tour was amazing and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I highly, highly recommend you do the Twin Lake Rwanda cycle tour with Lava Bike Tours.

Am I missing something you want to know about the Twin Lakes cycle tour? Let me know in the comments.