AKagera National Park is founded in eastern Rwanda and its 2500 sq km of mainly savannah land. The park is named after Kagera River that flows along Rwanda’s eastern boundary with Tanzania. The River feeds into Lake Ihema and other smaller lakes in and around the park. This national park protects an African savannah land scape of acacia and bush with patches of open grassland and swampy lakes. It has very exceptional levels of biodiversity and forms a large protected wetland. Akagera National Park is the only savannah national Park in Rwanda and only place to sight most of the large mammals while on safari.

The park is home to variety of wildlife which include; elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, leopards, hyenas, lions. Its also home to many antelopes like the bushbucks, Topis, Oribis, water buck, road antelopes, and duiker, klipspringer, impalas and the cape eland. You can watch schools of hippos and crocodiles basking in the sun near lake Ihema. The common primates in Akagera National Park are olive baboons, blue monkeys, Vervet monkeys, bush babies and many more.

The park has a wide variety of habitats which offer great habitat for 500 bird species. The bird species to look out for include; shoe bill, papyrus Gonlex, Giant kingfisher, wattled Plover, Senegal lapwings, African open bill stock, squacco Herons, grey crowned crane, long toed and water thick knee. More bird species to meet here include; cattle egret, fish eagles, sacred and Hadada Ibis, Augur Buzzard, Long crested Eagle, pied crow, viellot’s black weavers, grey backed fiscals as well as Fan tailed widowbird.

The park has got many tourist activities that are enjoyed by tourists and some of these include;

Game drives;

Game drives in Akagera National Park are carried out in safari vehicles starting early morning in search of the leopards, hyenas and the re introduced lions. This also means that the predators prefer to hunt at night or early morning and usually go into hiding as the heat from the sun increases. Along the carnivores, get to enjoy the scenery of this beautiful park and many other big mammals like the elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, zebras and Giraffes. The landscape and beautiful wild flowers will make for good pictures for the interested photographer.

Bird watching

Akagera National Park is a popular and vital birding area in Rwanda. Bird watching lovers will find birding Akagera National Park rewarding as it offers birders a chance to sight both the endangered bird species like the papyrus gonolex and the shoebill and more easily sighted species include; waevers, egrets, several kingfishers. Birding is carried out on a game drive, nature walk with a ranger guide and on a boat safari on Lake Ihema. Birding on Lake Ihema will accord one the pleasure of water species which are otherwise not seen while on the game drive in the savannah grassland. Overall we also recommend birding in Akagera National Park for both variety and the ease with which you see the birds

Boat Cruise on Lake Ihema

This is the best way to spend an afternoon in Akagera National Park. Most of the animals are hiding under shade because of the heat from the sun as others come to the water for cooling off and drinking. More so, you will watch schools of hippos in the water and crocodiles by the shores of the Lake. There are scheduled boat trips which happen during the day but can book for a private unscheduled boat trip at their own timing.

Sport fishing

The park offers an opportunity of sport fishing on Lake Shakani. You are required to make a booking with the park for sport fishing on this lake. Even though the expectation is catch and release, you are given a chance to take one catch for a meal if interested.

Cultural tours near Akagera National Park

Get to experience the rural Rwandan life around the cattle keeping communities near Akagera National Park. You have the opportunity to observe and participate in traditional cattle grazing, milking, traditional milk storage in calabashes for preservation. You then go through the process of converting milk into different products like traditional yogurt, ghee and lastly take part in preparing a meal with some of the ingredients from the milk products. It’s the true cultural experience shared by the locals living adjacent to the park, they get to earn from this supplementing their agricultural income. This eventually contributes to conservation culture and wild animals in the park.

How to get to Akagera National Park

You can drive from Kigali through Rwamagana town to Akagera National Park. The northern gate is currently used for exit. The journey takes a total of 2 hours to arrive at the park entrance. There is an option of flying to the park using the services of Akagera Aviation for those not keen on the 2-hour drive.