Known as Visit Kivu, the initiative is being driven by the Bwishyura Kivu Boat Cooperative, a youth-dominated cooperative based in Bwishyura Sector in Karongi District.

The initiative brings together boat tours and other experiences around Lake Kivu, offering visitors opportunities to explore the lake and some of its islands while also discovering the communities and landscapes around it.

Through 16 motorised boats, the cooperative takes visitors onto the lake and to islands including Nkombo and Ijwi. Its boat operators work across Karongi, Rubavu, Nyamasheke, Rusizi and Rutsiro, the five Rwandan districts bordering Lake Kivu.

“We have a legally registered cooperative, and our goal is to take tourists around Lake Kivu and its islands,” said Niyomugabo Moïse, president of the cooperative.

Visit Kivu also links lake excursions with experiences on land. The cooperative has helped establish a hiking route connecting Karongi town to Bisesero, allowing visitors to combine the scenery of the lake with the area's historical heritage. Members also participate in community work to clear and maintain paths used by visitors.
Among the more distinctive experiences is seeing cattle swimming in Lake Kivu, an activity that offers visitors an unusual glimpse into life around the lake.

The tourism activities have also become an important source of income for members of the cooperative. Founded in 2018 with one employee and Rwf370,000 in capital, the cooperative now has 37 members, 18 permanent employees, including three women, and a capital of Rwf8.7 million.

The cooperative says its tourism activities generate about Rwf4 million a month, helping members meet household needs and pay for health insurance.

Members say joining the cooperative has also allowed them to work together, support their families and interact with visitors from different places.

Niyomugabo says the expansion of tourism around Lake Kivu should go hand in hand with protecting the environment and preserving the culture and heritage of communities around the lake.

He says members need training in cooperative governance, financial management and marketing, as well as more investment to help expand tourism activities, an initiative backed by authorities acknowledging their impact to the community and national development at large.

With its combination of boat trips, islands, hiking, history and community experiences, Visit Kivu reflects the growing effort to present Lake Kivu as a destination to be explored beyond its shoreline.