Akagera National Park

The only savannah national park in Rwanda is the magnificent Akagera National Park. The 1,122 km2 (433 sq mi) Park is located in a protected area in eastern Rwanda, near to the border with Tanzania. The Park, which was established in 1934 and has savannah, highland, and wetland ecosystems, is home to a diversity of fauna. The Akagera National Park is named after the Kagera river, which meanders along the park\’s eastern boundary and empties into Lake Hema and a number of lesser lakes, including Lake Gishanju, Lake Mihindi, Lake Shakani, and Lake Rwanyakizinga. The greatest protected wetland in Eastern-Central Africa, which is also included in the Akagera National Ark, comprises a third of a complex network of interconnected lakes and papyrus marshes.

In addition to the Savannah grasslands, acacia woodland, plains, and rolling hills, the water features of Akagera make it an immensely picturesque and majestic safari destination. Even conservationist JeanPierre Vande acknowledges this fact: In Africa Environment and Wildlife, Pierre writes, \”Akagera is a truly unique area on the planet with its complex combination of landscapes, vegetation, and wildlife: a place that must be preserved at all costs for future generations.\” After the high, well-cultivated highlands and frequently windy weather of the remainder of Rwanda, Akagera National Park is an exciting surprise for visitors on Safaris in Rwanda.

This exceptional game reserve preserves an authentic African savannah landscape with its dense acacia and Brachystegia bushes, sections of open grassland, a few lakes bordered by wetlands, and its serpentine River Akagera course. Due to the vast diversity of natural habitats, the park is home to a wide variety of animals, including all five of Africa\’s \”big five\” and countless avian species.

Although it has encountered some challenges, Akagera National Park is a captivating safari park that has been in existence for some time. After the 1994 Rwandan genocide and civil conflict, a significant number of refugees fled the nation through the park. Even after the end of the conflict, refugees continued to use Akagera National Park as an entry point. During this period, some migrants began cutting down trees in the park and poaching animals in quest of land, food, and shelter. During this period, some of the park\’s untamed animals had become extinct and others were in jeopardy, presenting management challenges. The park animals were being supplanted by domestic animals, particularly the local long-horned cattle, whose population could not be eliminated without a plan. The government decided to divide the park in half in order to assist individuals who had no place to start their lives after the conflict. The remaining half was designated for the protection of untamed animals that had evaded human danger.

In 2010, the Rwandan government, the Howard Buffet Foundation, and other organizations signed a cooperative management agreement with the Africa Parks Network, which marked a significant improvement in the park\’s condition. The park administration launched an ambitious program to reintroduce extinct animals such as lions and rhinoceroses while enhancing safety by partitioning off the area and increasing aerial surveillance to combat poaching. This was accomplished in collaboration with a number of international wildlife conservation donors and organizations.

Due to the success of the initiative, Akagera National Park is home to over 50 mammal species, including all five of Africa\’s \”big five\” mammals. This makes the park an all-inclusive destination for anyone interested in an African safari. In addition to the Big 5, the park is home to a variety of savannah animals, such as topi, waterbucks, eland, zebra, hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, hyenas, mongoose, serval cats, duiker, impala, black-masked civet, reedbuck, bush pigs, giraffe, and Klipspringer, among others. In addition, several species of primates can be observed in Akagera National Park, including olive baboons, bush infants, vervet monkeys, and blue monkeys.

As the park has developed, the number of birds in Akagera has increased, and they can be found in a variety of habitats, including papyrus marshes, savannah plains, and forests. More than 525 distinct bird species inhabit Akagera, illustrating the region\’s extraordinarily complex ecosystem. This group of taxa contains 44 species of raptors and a significant number of Palearctic migrants, including the Lesser Kestrel and the Great Snipe. More bird species have been observed, including the Shoebill Stork and the Papyrus Gonolek. The park also contains the northernmost range limits of several species of the Zambezian biome, including Sauza\’s Shrike, Arnot\’s Chat, and Long-tailed Cisticola. Akagera National Park also contains the Guinea-Congo Forests biome, the Afrotropical Highlands biome, and nine of the eleven species found in Rwanda\’s Lake Victoria Basin biome. Because of this, Akagera is one of the finest locations for birding excursions in East Africa.

Safari Activities in Akagera National Park

Game Drives

Although game drives are available throughout the day in Akagera National Park, the ideal periods to view wildlife are early morning and late afternoon. Along marked trails, you will be driven through the marshes and savannah plains of Akagera National Park in quest of diverse mammalian and avian species. Your vehicle guide will assist you in locating areas where animals spend the majority of their waking hours. Expect to see the Buffalo, Lion, Elephant, Rhino, and Leopard roaming the savannah, in addition to the other Big 5 animals. You may also encounter the Defassa Waterbuck, the Semi-Aquatic Sitatunga antelope, Topis, Giraffes, Bohor Reedbucks, Oribis, and the Eland.

In addition, a night game drive through Akagera National Park allows you to observe nocturnal animals as well as other species of wildlife. Nighttime fauna in the park contains, among others, civet cats, leopards, and bush babies. As you seek for creatures wielding potent torches, you will be lead by your driver guide and a knowledgeable ranger.

Birding

Akagera National Park offers the exhilarating activity of birdwatching due to the park\’s variety of habitats and abundance of avifauna species. In the park\’s savannah grasslands, woodlands, ponds, and forests, over 500 distinct avian species have been identified. Other abundant species include African fish eagles, grey-crowned cranes, bateleurs, African O jacanas, colossal and malachite kingfishers, bluebill teals, eastern grey plantain-eaters, bovine egrets, common squacco herons, African darters, and bluecheeked bee-eaters.

Boat Tours 

Boating is one of the most tranquil activities in Akagera National Park. Lake Lhema, the second-largest lake in Rwanda, is utilized for extremely rewarding canoe excursions in the park. Crocodiles, enormous populations of hippos, and a variety of aquatic bird species, such as the papyrus gonolek, await visitors. Other animals can be observed quenching their afternoon thirst with a swim or a drink at the shore. Furthermore, a canoe excursion on Lake Lhema is the finest way to observe the fauna of Akagera National Park up close.O

Sport Fishing Guided Nature Walks

In addition to visiting Akagera National Park, you can visit this location. Akagera National Park offers both sport fishing and guided nature excursions. This is an exciting activity that takes place in specific parkland forest areas, from which you can see Lake Lhema and Lake Shakani. A group of park officer guides. Tourists can fish in the tranquil waters while listening to intriguing explanations of how to explore the park and learning about the chattering birds and snorting hippos, who seem to know everything there is to know about the area and its inhabitants.

Boost their morale. In addition, visitors are permitted to retain their bags Moreover, it is the ideal method for locating their catch and roasting, frying, or barbecuing it in order to experience the flavor of attractions that would otherwise go unnoticed while dining on fresh fish from the Land of a Thousand Hills.

Cultural Tours

The management of Akagera National Park collaborates with neighboring villages to offer cultural excursions to visitors. Community guides are in charge of these excursions, which transport you on cultural visits to various Rwandan cultural sites where you can interact with locals. Visitors can observe the inhabitants\’ daily activities, such as cooking, caring for their long-horned livestock, and maintaining their property. Additionally, visitors can help milk the cows, sample traditional cuisine from various regions of Rwanda, and sway to the local music. Cultural excursions in Akagera National Park last no more than three hours.

When to go to Akagera National Park

Although Akagera National Park is open year-round, certain months of the year are optimal for travelers to go on safari. The ideal time to visit Akagera National Park is during the dry season, from June to September. Although there are few seasonal differences in the park\’s climate, visitors will experience higher temperatures during the prolonged dry season. Temperatures in Akagera National Park range between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. Rwanda possesses two distinct climate zones, which correspond to the arid and rainy seasons. The rainy season lasts from March to May and late September to early November, whereas the drier season extends from June to September and December to February. However, the arid season is the ideal time for tourists to visit. During this time, because the vegetation is short and the game tracks are dry and accessible, there are typically more opportunities for tourists to view wildlife in the park, as they can simply drive around in pursuit of animals. In addition, it is easier to locate the park\’s animals because they spend most of their time grazing in the expansive savannah grasslands and cooling off by waterholes.

  In contrast, Akagera National Park experiences a protracted rainy season from March to May, during which it rains frequently and the roadways are frequently muddy. During this season, visitors to the Park are advised to rent a four-wheel-drive vehicle to make navigating the area simpler. The rainy season is the ideal time to appreciate the park\’s verdant splendor. In addition, birds procreate and construct nests in Akagera during the rainy season, and migratory birds are present from November to April. Those who are enthusiastic about bird viewing should visit the park at this time. In addition, visitors should carry sufficient warm apparel because the park can become extremely chilly at night during the rainy season.O

How to Get to Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park is accessible to visitors by both land and aviation. Kigali International Airport is the primary access point into the country; it takes three hours to travel from the airport to Akagera National Park. On their journey from Kigali to the park, visitors could enjoy a magnificent aerial view. From Rwamagana or Kibungo, it will take an hour to reach the destination. The 27-kilometer route from the main road to the park\’s entrance is sandy, but rain does not prevent vehicles from traveling along it. The roads within the park are not as well maintained as those leading to the entrance, particularly during the rainy season; therefore, a reliable four-wheel drive vehicle is required.

Akagera Aviation also arranges domestic flights from Kigali to the Park and back for those who dislike driving. Private vehicles and chauffeurs can be reserved from Kigali or the park for approximately $175 for a half-day and $225 for a full day. However, the majority of foreign tourists opt for convenience and schedule their safari through a reputable travel operator. Tour operators are frequently the best option because they manage all arrangements, including lodging, transportation, and activity reservations. If you have never visited Rwanda before, utilizing the services of a tour operator is your best option.O O Essential Facts You Should Know

If you plan to visit Rwanda\’s Akagera National Park, there are a few additional items you should be aware of. To enter the park, which is open from 6 am to 6 pm, all visitors must pay an entrance fee of RWF 15,000 (for Rwandan citizens), USD $50 (for East African citizens), or USD 100 (for foreign travelers).

Moreover, as a tropical nation, Rwanda is home to parasites and maladies to which visitors from other nations may not be immune. Before traveling to Rwanda, it is essential to see a doctor and receive a yellow fever vaccination. Due to the Tse Tse flies and mosquitoes in the park, you should attempt to carry malaria medications. In addition, the car windows are frequently left open during game excursions, which can result in disagreeable insect bites. To avoid being stung by insects, it is essential to possess insect repellent. In addition, you may wish to bring some warm safari attire, such as long trousers, long-sleeved shirts, and muted-colored clothing.

Accommodations in the Akagera National Park

Akagera offers fewer hotel options than other national parks. It is essential to determine in advance when the lodges will be accessible, as some are seasonal. These lodging issues presented a formidable obstacle for the park\’s stakeholders. Inside and outside of the park, new lodges are being constructed.

Make hotel reservations in advance to avoid complications. Three pricing categories are used to categorize the overall hotel and lodging industry: prestige, mid-range, and budget. The lodges are both permanent stone structures and luxurious canopies. In Akagera National Park, the Mantis Akagera Game Lodge, Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Karenge Bush Camp, and Akagera Rhino Lodge are some of the available accommodations.

In contrast, the park allows autonomous camping for independent and frugal visitors, unlike the vast majority of national parks where camping is prohibited. Be wary of intruders, especially baboons and insects that enjoy stealing from campers. There are three designated campgrounds in Akagera National Park where foreign visitors must pay $20 per person per night and an additional $20 for shelters that can accommodate up to six people. Every campsite provides amenities such as kitchens, restrooms, and firewood.