Hot Springs in Rwanda : Hot springs are amazing features and are rarely spotted, but rwanda has variety of them. Hot springs are water bodies and are formed due to the geo-thermal activity within the area. In Rwanda the hot springs are called amashyuza and these spit hot water which is heated from underground. The hot spring is related to the volcanic activities and the waters come with temperatures that are too hot to even boil an egg as well as taking tea. The hot springs are known to be very deep as the rocks keep getting deeper.
Rwanda has four major hot springs and these include bugarama hot springs, Gisenyi hot springs, kinigi hot springs and nyamyumba hot springs.
BUGARAMA HOT SPRINGS
While on a Rwanda safari, the bugarama hot springs are the most visited hot springs by tourists and the locals as well. The bugarama hot springs are found 60 kilometers from the Cyangugu town in the rusizi district in the western province of rwanda. The hot springs le at the bottom of a limestone quarry which gives the cimerwa cement factory 13 kilometers away.
The hot springs have a misty and bubbling appearance that is amazing to see. It appears as a green pool of waters since they are covered by the water plant known as Nymphaea thermarum of a lily type. The international guests are charged 45 USD.
KINIGI HOT SPRING
The kinigi hot springs are also one of the most visited springs by tourists in the volcanoes national park. The kinigi hot springs are found in kinigi in the volcanoes national park which is a home to the endangered mountain gorillas in rwanda. The hot springs are found next to lake kivu and the Iby’iwachu cultural center.
The center hosts Rwandan traditional dancers as well as drummers where guests get to be entertained as they enjoy the amazing hot spring. The locals enjoy swimming in the hot water as well as drinking it due to their belief that the waters have healing of various ailments.
GISENYI HOT SPRING
The Gisenyi hot springs are located in the eastern shores of lake kivu which is the longest lake in Rwanda and it’s shared by rwanda and democratic republic of Congo. The Gisenyi hot springs are 2 kilometers away from the bralirwa brewery which makes local brew which every tourist should try out when there.
The Gisenyi hot springs have small and defined vents that spit hot water with temperatures of 70 degrees to 75 degrees centigrade. The temperatures are said to be so hot that they can even boil an egg in just 20 minutes.
NYAMYUMBA HOT SPRING
The nyamyumba hot springs are found in the Gisenyi within rubavu district. The hot springs are 7 kilometers from the Gisenyi town and it’s visited by both the foreigners and locals. The locals believe that the hot springs have spirits and thus refer to it as magical waters because they believe that the waters have a healing. The locals are spotted while swimming in the waters in the evenings. The waters a said to treat a number of fungal infections such as ringworms among others.