Rwanda is one of the best tourism destinations to view wildlife in Africa located in East Africa, just a few degrees south of the equator. Wildlife in Rwanda is better in Akagera National Park which lies in eastern region of Rwanda hugging the border with Tanzania. The park is gazzeted with woodlands, swamps, lakes, mountains and savannahs which enable it to host over 12,000 large mammals, including all of the Big Five wild animals like Buffaloes, Elephants, Lions, Leopards and Rhinos among others. It also contains a hundred of bird species such as rare shoebill stork around swampy areas. In the southern part of the park, there is Lake Ihema which is a home of Hippos and crocodiles.
Getting to Akagera National Park.
From Kigali the capital, there are two best alternatives which can take you to Akagera National Park.
Using a 4×4 safari vehicle is strongly advised because the last part leading to the park and all dirt routes inside the reserve consist of rough marram. The Route: From Kigali, drive east to Rwamagana -Kayonza -Kabarondo. Continue with the dirt road on left following the signposts of Akagera up to Rwinkwavu, which leads directly to the southern gate of Kayonza (Entrance gate). From Kigali to the park, it is a 2 to 3 hours’ drive. Speed Limits of Rwanda strictly enforces a 60 km/h speed limit on highways, so it is highly encouraged to manage 60 km/h speed limit.
Option two which can take you to Akagera National Park is by air. You can book domestic charter flights if you want to skip the road trip with the Akagera Aviation’s which is about 20 to 30 minutes from Kigali International Airport.
What to see in Akagera National Park.
Abundant wildlife hosted by the park which is the main tourism attraction in the park. Akagera’s woodlands, swamps, lakes, mountains and savannahs which are shelters of over 12,000 large mammals, including all the Big Five wild animals like Buffaloes, Elephants, Lions, Leopards and Rhinos and so many others.
Lake Ihema located in eastern part of the park. The waters host large population of hippopotamuses and large Nile crocodiles. The surrounding swamps at the lake shelter over 155 bird species, like the shoebill stork, papyrus gonolek, malachite kingfishers, and herons. Large mammals such as elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes regularly gather along the shorelines to drink.
Birds with over 155 species around the swampy areas. Some species found in the park include; shoebill stork, papyrus gonolek, malachite kingfishers, and herons.
What to do in Akagera National Park?
Game drives. This is the premier way to explore Rwanda’s only savannah park (Akagera National Park). The park is home to the Big Five (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and Cape buffalo), along with zebras, giraffes, and hundreds of bird species. Akagera offers several types of game drive experiences:
- Day Game Drives; Morning Drives: Run from 6:30 AM to 11:30 AM. This is the best time to spot wildlife as animals are highly active in the cooler hours.
Afternoon Drives: Run from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. You can still spot animals gathering around water sources like Lake Ihema and Lake Shakani for drinking.
- Night Game Drives; The Experience: Conducted from 5:30 PM to around 8:30 PM, this is an exciting opportunity to spot wild predators (lions, leopards) hunting and other creatures like bushbabies using spotlights.
Boat cruises. This is mainly conducted on water bodies of Lake Ihema and Shakani which offers visitors to enjoy aquatic life in the park. You can spot the Hippopotamuses, crocodiles through boat cruises. Here there is a chance to spot other wild animals like Elephants, Buffaloes on shores of water banks gathering for water.
Akagera is a premier birding paradise especially in swampy areas. Several bird species like shoebill stork, papyrus gonolek, malachite kingfishers, and herons enable birding in Akagera National Park.
Accommodations in Akagera National Park.
Akagera National Park is accommodated with several Hotels and safari lodges ranging from Luxury, Mid-range and Budget. Some of the accommodations in the park include; Akagera Game Lodge, Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Magashi Tented Camp among others.
Fees and bookings of Akagera National Park.
Akagera National Park entrance fees for international visitors are $100 for 1 day, $150 for 2 days, and $200 for 3 days. East African (EAC) citizens pay ~RWF 15,000 per day. You can pay upon arrival or pre-book permits and activities directly through the African Parks Network. Therefore, it is highly recommended to check on African Parks Network for accurate activity fees of the above activities in Akagera National Park.