Musanze caves are located in Rwanda's Northern province. Musanze caves are found near the world-famous volcanoes national park and are surrounded by the volcanoes of Karisimbi, Muhabura, Bisoke, Gahinga and Sabinyo.
There are 52 caves with more than 15 kilometres of passages that are believed to have been formed around 65 million years ago during the formation of the Great Rift Valley. The volcanic rocks of the caves are part of the basaltic layers from the layer of Mount Bisoke and Mount Sabinyo.
The 31 entrances to the caves are mostly a result of collapsed roofs, which creates magical streams, lightscapes and bat colonies.
Activities
On your visit to Musanze caves, you can do any of the following activities.
- Explore the caves
- Visit Imbazi museum
- Musanze city tour
- Hiking
- Photography
- Bird watching
- Iby'iwacu Cultural village
- Canoeing
- Visit the Twin Lakes (Burera & Ruhondo)
When To Visit
Musanze caves can be visited at any time of the year but the best time is during the dry months when it is not raining. The months between June and August as well as December to February.
This is also a good time to track mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, and the 2 activities are easily combined for a day's trip.
Related article: Best time to visit Rwanda
Getting There
Musanze Town is located about 120 kilometres from Kigali and a drive through the scenic countryside will take about 2.5 hours. There are public buses that leave Kigali on a regular basis and you could choose to use that as a cheaper option of getting to Musanze.
Where To Stay
There are many accommodation options to fit any budget and preference of yours. The Town of Musanze is the big tourism town of Rwanda's popular northern region.
Visitors who are going to Volcanoes National Park to see mountain gorillas often stay in Musanze. The many hotels and lodges make accommodation an easy choice.
