Bethanie Guesthouse is situated in the middle of Rwanda's lakeshore, close to the town of Kibuye, which is probably the prettiest of the three towns on the shores of Lake Kivu.
The Béthanie Guest House has a great location right beside the lapping waves, facing west into the setting sun. It's run by the Pentecostal Church and has 42 fairly standard rooms, while modern on the exterior, they are however, slightly dated and simple inside.
Each of the Bethanie's rooms have a double or twin beds – some triple rooms available – with polished concrete floors. All with an en-suite flush toilet and hot shower. They all have a terrace that opens out onto the lake, with views over the lake – certainly the best thing about the guesthouse. There is also a restaurant here which offers simple, but good traditional food, typical of many of Rwanda's smaller hotels.
Kibuye is a verdant and very tropical spot, surrounded by hills which are covered in eucalyptus and pine trees. If you're visiting in August, you may see thousands of yellow-billed kites here on their annual migration.
Short boat trips on the lake in the area of the Bethanie Guesthouse are possible – nearby Napoleon's Island has a large fruit bat colony, and Amahoro Island has an unexpected small beach bar!
Fantastic location - room with a "wow" factor
We were given a brand new room in a new building overlooking the lake. It still smelt of paint and we were given the use of a (still totally unfurnished) room next door, which looked like it might be ...
