Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park is the only savannah and largest national park situated in the eastern parts of Rwanda sharing an international border with Tanzania. Akagera National Park covers an area size of 1,122 square Kilometres characterised by woodland, swamps, low mountains and savannah mainly to shelter wildlife such as the big Five animals like Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Elephants, Rhinos as well as other wildlife animals include Giraffe, Zebras, and a variety of bird species like the rare shoebill stork among more. Akagera National Park is one of the oldest national parks in Africa which was a battle field between the Army of Rwanda and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) a rebel group typically composed of the Tutsi exiles then later established in 1934 by the Belgian Colonial Government mainly to protect the region’s wildlife amid increasing threats. The Park is named after the Kagera River which flows down in the southern part of the park and feeds into several small lakes and Lake Ihema a home to the hippos and crocodiles. The Kagera River also known as Akagera River or Alexandra Nile is an East African River forming part of the upper headwaters of the Nile and it carries water from its most distant source located in Lake Rweru in Rwanda of about 597 km total length. The Park is mainly famous for the presence of the Big Five wild animals which are the main attractions namely Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Elephants, Rhinos and other wildlife and various bird species.
LOCATION OF AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK:
Akagera National Park is the only savannah and largest national park situated in the eastern parts of Rwanda sharing an international border with Tanzania. The Park is named after the Kagera River which flows down in the southern part of the park and feeds into several small lakes and Lake Ihema a home to the hippos and crocodiles. The Kagera River also known as Akagera River or Alexandra Nile is an East African River forming part of the upper headwaters of the Nile and it carries water from its most distant source located in Lake Rweru in Rwanda of about 597 km total length. The Park is about 2.5 hours drive east of Kigali, the Capital City of Rwanda. The Park being the only country’s savannah national park, it supports a rich array of wildlife such as the big Five animals like Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Elephants, Rhinos as well as other wildlife animals include Giraffe, Zebras, and a variety of bird species like the rare shoebill stork among more.
ATTRACTIONS IN AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK:
Akagera National Park supports a rich array of savannah wildlife such as the big Five animals like Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Elephants, Rhinos as well as other wildlife animals include Giraffe, Zebras, and a variety of bird species like the rare shoebill stork among more.
Wildlife: Akagera National Park is the only place in Rwanda to spot the Big Five animals like Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Elephants, and the reintroduced Rhinos as well as other wildlife animals include Giraffe, Zebras, elands, warthogs, hyenas among more.
Birds: Akagera National Park boasts of over 500 bird species such as the rare shoebill stork, papyrus gonolek, and numerous water birds hence a fantastic birding destination.
Lake Ihema: Akagera National Park has a famous largest Lake Ihema a home to the hippos and crocodiles thereby it supports taking a boat on it for an up-close view of the hippos and crocodiles and water birds.
Primates: Akagera National Park supports the presence of primates such as vervet monkeys and olive baboons among more.
Activities In Akagera National park
Akagera National Park supports participation in
different activities such as boat cruise on Lake Ihema, Game drives in search
for the Big Five animals and other wildlife and sport fishing on Lake Shakani
among more;
Wildlife viewing:
Akagera National Park has a diverse landscape and it’s the only savannah park that supports the presence the Big Five animals like Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, Elephants, and the reintroduced Rhinos as well as other wildlife animals include Giraffe, Zebras, elands, warthogs, hyenas among more hence encouraging wildlife viewing through game drives both day game drive and night game drive to spot nocturnal animals as well.
Boat Cruise on Lake Ihema: Akagera National Park has a famous largest Lake Ihema a home to the hippos and crocodiles thereby it supports taking a boat cruise on it for an up-close view of the hippos and crocodiles and water birds.
Sport Fishing: Akagera National Park has Lake Shakani which supports the presence of various fish species such as Tilapia, Catfish that is best practiced with a Park’s fishing policy which is Catch-and-Release Policy.
Bird Watching:
Akagera National Park boasts of over 500 bird species such as the rare shoebill stork, papyrus gonolek, African fish Eagle, red-faced barbet and numerous water birds hence a fantastic birding destination.
Guided Nature Walks: Akagera National Park encourages taking a guided nature walk with an experienced guide in exploring the Park’s unique Flora and Fauna
Cultural Experiences:
The Park supports visiting the nearby local communities to learn about their traditional cattle herding, milking, local foods and beer preparations
DIRECTIONS TO AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK:
Akagera National Park is about 110KM from Kigali, the Capital City of Rwanda which is approximately 2 to 2.5 hours road drive and the park can be accessed by both road and air.
By Road Transportation; From Kigali City Centre, head on a road towards Kigali International Airport and turn left 500KM before the airport head eastwards towards Rwamagana and continue through Rwamagana to the roundabout at Kayonza till Akagera National Park.
By Air Transportation; From Kigali International Airport, take a chartered flight of about 30 minutes to Akagera National Park’s Airstrip offering you a breath-taking aerial view of Rwanda.
ACCOMMODATIONS IN AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK:
Akagera National Park offers a wide range of accommodation options ranging from budget to mid-range to luxurious as detailed below;
Budget Accommodation Options include Dereva Hotel outside the park, Shukani Campsite within the park and Mutumba Campsite within the park.
Mid-range Accommodation options include Akagera Game Lodge, Ruzizi Tented lodge, and Karenge Bush Camp.
Luxurious Accommodation options like Mantis Akagera Game Lodge, Magashi Camp, and Ruzizi Tented Lodge
BEST TIMES TO VISIT AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK:
Akagera National Park can be visited all year round in the months in the different seasons of wet season and dry season in Rwanda. The best time to visit Akagera National Park in Rwanda is during the dry season in Rwanda within the months of December, January, February, May, June, July, August, here the sky is clearer, trails are drier leading to easy movements during game drives and guided nature walks and the savannah is very short making it easy to spot wildlife. During the wet season in Rwanda within the months of March, April, October and November, best times for birding and there’s plenty of rainfall.
