Akagera National Park was founded in 1934 and today covers 1,122 square kilometres of eastern Rwanda along the border with Tanzania, making it the largest park in the country. Its mix of savannah, marsh, lakes, low hills and forest will feel familiar to anyone who has been on safari in Kenya or Tanzania.
What makes Akagera remarkable is its recovery. During the country’s years of conflict, refugees moved into the park simply to survive, lions and rhinos were hunted out and much of the other wildlife was driven away. Strict protection, new management and determined patrols against poaching have since brought it back. Lions were reintroduced in 2015 and 2017, and 18 Eastern black rhinos have returned, a revival few African parks can match.
Game drives now bring you close to zebra, buffalo, Maasai giraffe, hyena, leopard, impala and topi, as well as elephant, lion and rhino. More than 500 bird species have been recorded, including the shoebill and the papyrus gonolek of the park’s swamps, and Lake Ihema holds one of the largest hippo populations in East Africa. Every year more than 2,000 Rwandan school children visit the park free of charge.
Cruise past large pods of hippos and big Nile crocodiles on a lake with one of the densest hippo populations in East Africa, watching for fish eagles, darters, cormorants and storks, and perhaps elephants coming down to the shore to bathe.
A two hour drive by spotlight that sets off at 5:30 PM in search of leopards, hyenas, serval cats and wide eyed bushbabies. Very few national parks offer drives after dark, and a minimum number of guests is needed.
More than 500 species along a Nile Valley migration route, including over 40 kinds of raptor, kingfishers, herons, storks, cranes and pelicans, the swamp flycatcher and the sought after shoebill.
A 7-day Rwanda designed around Two mountain gorilla treks (Volcanoes National Park), Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest, Golden monkey habituation experience.
The long dry season from June to September is best for game viewing. Daytime temperatures stay around 27°C all year, with short rains from October to December and long rains from March to May.
Rwanda
national park
Park entry and activity fees are confirmed in your quotation. The park is open from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and night drives set off at 5:30 PM.
A 4-day Rwanda designed around Chimpanzee tracking with habituated group, Canopy walk 70 meters above forest floor, Colobus monkey troop observations (400+ individuals).
A 3-day Rwanda designed around Big Five game viewing (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, buffalo), Black rhino tracking experience, Lake Ihema boat safari with hippos and crocs.