Tag: Lake Burera /Rwanda/

altitude: 1,862 m/ 6,108 ft
max length – width: 12 km/7.5 mi – 8 km/5 mi
depth: 173 m/568 ft

Lake Burera in the north of Rwanda is separated from Lake Ruhondo only by a narrow band of land crated by lava from the Virunga volcanoes. Together they represent the most known set among the twin lakes of the Gorilla Highlands region. The altitude difference between the two lakes, 98 m/322 ft, allows electricity generation at the Ntaruka hydropower station.

Burera has six islands: Bihosho, Birwa I, Cyuza, Munanira, Bushongo and Mudimba. While most of the islanders have been moved to the mainland by the government, there is a primary school on the biggest of Burera’s islands, Birwa I.

Our Stories:

  • Smaller Twins Are Handsome Too

    Smaller Twins Are Handsome Too

    Three pretty sets of twin lakes can be found nestled on the Rwandan and Ugandan side of the Virungas, and we usually spin tales about the bigger siblings only — Lakes Burera, Kayumbu and Mutanda. The reason is that these lie directly on our trekking routes … But today we are correcting this omission with…

  • Catherina Did It Alone

    Catherina Did It Alone

    It’s your fault! You had a unique chance to join Catherina’s Rwandan tour … and you missed it! Now she’s already in Kigali, prepping for tomorrow’s flight to Tanzania. Maybe she’s scrolling through the photos she snapped, marveling at how many images ended up on her memory cards. Sorting through them all will take time,…

  • Humbled & Sore: A Journey to Burera’s Roots

    Humbled & Sore: A Journey to Burera’s Roots

    Iztok’s mind was blown. He had never experienced the authentic warmth, the overwhelming energy, or the unfiltered fun of visiting an African village. He had also never, in his life, been a community’s focal point — all eyes on him like he was some global celebrity. “How should I act?” he wondered. “Naturally. Just be…

  • Explore Rwanda With Expert Guides This February

    Explore Rwanda With Expert Guides This February

    Wish to have our expert birder Hawa and Congo Nile Trail specialist Cesar show you their home country? Join our guest from Italy, Catherina Unger, on a very special February trip through Rwanda! As a seasoned traveler and tour agent, Catherina has plentiful fascinating stories to share. Her passion for travel photography also promises some…

  • OMG! Youth Spaces Get Multi-Talented Friends From Dubai!

    OMG! Youth Spaces Get Multi-Talented Friends From Dubai!

    GHE Youth Spaces will have an Arabian taste this year — or should we say a global one? This week we had a call with Alanna Turpin who leads sustainability and culture efforts at the Omnicom Media Group (OMG). Their Dubai office is eager to support Youth Spaces in 2024, with a substantial donation and…

  • Grand Vistas? Consider It Covered!

    Grand Vistas? Consider It Covered!

    It has started! Here are Brina and Miha, struck by the majesty of our Gorilla Highlands region, the first two guests from the many upcoming Rwanda and Uganda tours. A year ago we were still mostly known for hiking trips on Gorilla Highlands Trails but now we are already well established as creators of tailor-made…

  • Our Christmas Camp was just the START, 2023 we are COMING!

    Our Christmas Camp was just the START, 2023 we are COMING!

    A New Year is almost here, and hopefully you have been having a great time with family and friends this Holiday season. For us at Gorilla Highlands Experts, Christmas began with our camp on 21 December at Cyuza Island on Rwanda’s Lake Burera … We socialised, enjoyed fresh salads and hot coffee, drove and paddled…

  • Get To Know Rwanda’s Twin Lakes With a True Muturage

    Get To Know Rwanda’s Twin Lakes With a True Muturage

    I am Rukundo, a Twin Lakes muturage from Gitare Village in Burera District. This is where I was born and grew up, all the 27 years of my life, making me a real member of baturage. I did translation and interpreting at university — this is why I am teasing you with Kinyarwanda in my…

  • Top 5 Prettiest Lakes of the Gorilla Highlands Region

    Top 5 Prettiest Lakes of the Gorilla Highlands Region

    From the ice-cold waters between Rwanda and Uganda atop Mt Muhabura to the colourful bays of Bukavu, the Gorilla Highlands region is blessed with numerous bodies of water. You can safely swim in all of them — but which lakes are the most beautiful? 1. Lake Bunyonyi This giraffe-shaped lake is made exceptionally gorgeous by the heavily terraced hills that…