Darius and his two young children sit on the rooftop terrace as the sun falls below the horizon. The children – Ngabo, eight, and Ntwari, 10 – sip bottles of soda while their father imbibes shots of liquor.
They have a breathtaking 360-degree view of the scenic Lake Kivu – a perfect spot to enjoy a serene, relaxed evening with a handful of those you consider dearest to your heart.
As dusk falls and the wind blows, Darius — the Travel with Darius TV show host — can feel the house swaying. But it’s not because of the alcohol he’s been taking; he and his family are in a boathouse, gently sailing Lake Kivu in Kibuye district, western Rwanda.
Latest luxury experience on Lake Kivu
This is one of the latest luxury holiday experiences available for locals and foreign travellers to Rwanda: Iliza, a boathouse that started operations about two years ago and is owned by the New Impala Hotel, a boutique hotel operating out of Muhima in Kigali, the country’s capital.
Being a relatively new offering in the vacation town of Kibuye, many people are yet to enjoy this haunting weekend retreat – just a two-hour drive from Kigali.
Heaven on the lake
Berthed at the lakeshore on the outskirts of the ever tranquil Kibuye town, Iliza features a master bedroom with a cozy king-sized bed, as well as two other smaller bedrooms, each furnished with bunk beds designed principally for children.
From a distance, Iliza looks like just another ordinary boat until you see the luxury and comforts of its inside: solar electricity, running water, a refrigerator, a well-stocked kitchen, a gas stove, a spacious living room, a bar area, a rooftop terrace, elegant toilets and bathrooms, as well as enough beds to sleep up to 10 people!
The boathouse’s slogan says it all: Iliza – Heaven on the Lake. And Iliza surely lives up to its billing!
As Darius recounts his first time on the boat, “I always feel scared and dizzy every time I step in a boat, big or small,” he says. “But this time it was different. I felt calm. If fact, the slogan Heaven on the Lake made sense almost immediately!”
And Darius is not speaking metaphorically. See, there is something about water that not only soothes the mind but also brings a sense of ease. Iliza, floating on the scenic Lake Kivu away from the realities of daily life, literary radiates calm and invites relaxation.
In Darius’s own words: “Everything was new to us. Sleeping on the boat floating on water was our first time… It felt like first class of a plane.”
Costs
The New Impala Hotel rents this floating home on Lake Kivu all-year round, and it can accommodate between six to 10 people.
Costs are in the upwards of $60 per person per night, but larger groups usually get special discounts, according to management.
And that price covers meals, soft drinks and sightseeing excursions to some of the highlands on the lake. Other adventure activities guests can enjoy while here include sport fishing, canoeing and kayaking, among others – but these come at an extra fee.
More houseboats to set sail on Lake Kivu
Iliza is currently the only boathouse available for holidaymakers in Rwanda. But according to its proprietors, there is a plan to acquire more boathouses of this kind, albeit big enough to accommodate more guests and also navigate a bigger part of Lake Kivu, one of Africa’s Great Lakes that straddles Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The New Impala Hotel makes it easy to get to Kibuye from Kigali; the hotel offers guests transportation in a private van, at a “negotiable price”.
