Gisenyi, Rwanda

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The words 'relaxation' and 'Rwanda' would be thought by many to be mutually exclusive, but relaxation is exactly what attracts the wealthier Rwandans, expats and travellers looking to splurge to the lakeside resort town of Gisenyi. Situated on the eastern shore of the enormous Lake Kivu, Gisenyi is stuffed full of manicured villas, salubrious hotels and the requisite nightclubs. This expensive place is not going to define your experience of Rwanda, being mainly a public relations exercise in leisure amid a much harsher version of African life, but you'll enjoy the environs if you leave your moral judgements at the door.

Gisenyi owes its existence to the stunning Lake Kivu, which provides it with expansive views and swimmable, sunbathable sandy beaches - this is not the case everywhere around the lake, there being some places where volcanic gases bubble up from the lakebed and gather on the water's surface, posing a threat to anything that breathes. As you'd expect at a lake, there are lots of watersports to keep the energetic and the poseurs happy, and beer-laden boat trips to the nearby Primus Brewery to finish off a long hard day. Meanwhile, to the south of town is the impressive 328ft-high (100m-high) waterfall, Les Chutes de Ndaba. Water isn't the only thing to occupy you here, however, as a swivel to the northwest reveals the magnificent 11,381ft-high (3470m-high) Nyiragongo volcano.

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