Emeraude Kivu Resort

The multi-level resort may be big and blocky and not particularly attractive, but it does offer an excellent vantage. With extensive verandas and outdoor seating, there's always alfresco seating in the sun or shade, whether you're dining or merely decompressing. Broad lawns surround the resort and there's a long paved path leading to a private jetty. The restaurant does its best to accommodate an international palate, with varying degrees of success – stick to the local fare and fresh fish.

Rooms are generally spick and span, with good natural light through large glass doors. Each has a balcony and a few comfortable deckchairs. Beds are twin- or queen-sized with foldaway mosquito netting and decent linens. (Mozzie spray is recommended.) Bathrooms have single basins, toilets and hot showers. Things are simple by international standards, but pretty plush in these parts.

Lake aside, the principal attraction in the region is Nyungwe Forest National Park, with its high mountain forests home to chimpanzees and monkeys, and a decorative array of birds (300 recorded species, including the vivid Ross's turaco). The terrain is dramatic, with waterfalls and plunging valleys, marshlands and rivers – heavenly for birders, hikers and botanical enthusiasts. The Canopy Walkway offers surreal views. On Lake Kivu, explore the islands in a motorboat, or get local in a dugout canoe