Facts About Akagera National Park Rwanda
Akagera National Park, located in the north-east of Rwanda near the Tanzanian border, is Rwanda’s largest protected area. The park was established in 1934 with the goal of conserving and protecting wildlife. It covers a total land area of 1,122 square kilometers but used to cover 2500 square kilometers before being reduced to about 50% in 1997 when the land was reallocated as farmland for returning refugees following the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The refugees began cultivating the land and poaching wildlife, and in 2009, the Rwandan government reduced the size of the park to 1122 square kilometers to make room for people while also protecting wildlife. As a result, the Rwanda Development Board, a tourism organization, and African Parks, a conservation organization, jointly operate and manage Akagera National Park. The park is dominated by swamps, hills, acacia, woodland, grassland vegetation, and small lakes. It is named after the Kagera River, which flows along Rwanda’s eastern boundary and feeds into Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second largest lake.
Attractions in Akagera National Park Rwanda
Wildlife
Animals, Akagera National Park is home to a variety of mammals, including the big five: elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, and rhinos. Other animals in the park include topi, bushbucks, impala, klipspringer, duiker, bohor reedbuck, waterbucks, eland, oribi, side striped jackal, mongoose, primates such as olive baboons, and vervet monkeys, among others. The animals in the park can be seen during a game drive, a boat cruise on Lake Ihema, or a nature walk.
Birdlife
The national park is home to over 500 bird species, with approximately 100 species endemic to only Akagera National Park, making it one of Rwanda’s best birding destinations, with bird species such as swamp flycatcher, papyrus gonoloek, red-faced barbet, cattle egret, hadada ibis, pied crow, long crested eagle, black weaver, grey backed fiscal, hamerkop, fish eagle, open billed stork, and others. Birds in the park can be seen during birding, nature walks, game drives, and boat cruises, which include viewing aquatic species.
Water bodies
The swamp-fringed lakes of Akagera National Park include Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second largest lake, Lake Shakani, Lake Rwanyakizinga, Lake Mihindi, and Lake Gishanju. These lakes are home to hippos, crocodiles, fish, and other animals such as elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes, which congregate around the water to drink, particularly during the dry season.
Activities in Akagera National Park Rwanda
Game drive
This is the main activity in the park. The game drive in Akagera National Park takes place either in the morning at 6:30 a.m. to catch up with the early risers and nocturnal animals returning to their hiding places, or in the afternoon at 12:00 p.m. in a safari vehicle through the savannah woodland plains. Game drives in the park are best done in the morning with a park guide who knows where the animals can be found. During the game drive in the park, look for animals such as giraffes, elands, waterbucks, topi, bohor reedbuck, elephants, oribi, lions, and rhinos, among others.
Night game drives
Akagera National Park is Rwanda’s only national park that allows visitors to go on night game drives. A night game drive is conducted with a park ranger and spotlight torches mounted on the vehicle for clear views of nocturnal animals that are rarely seen during the day, such as hyenas, civets, bush babies, leopards, nocturnal birds, and other animals that rest at night.
Guided nature walks
This is a thrilling activity in which you will get out of the car and explore nature, feeling the cool breeze and fresh air in the park. A nature walk is conducted with a park guide who will provide security while moving through the forest along various trails. During the nature walk, you’ll see some animals, birds, butterflies, and various tree species.
Bird watching
The park is home to over 500 bird species, including approximately 100 species found nowhere else in Rwanda, making it a birder’s paradise. Birds such as the papyrus gonolek, shoebill stork, long tailed cisticola, fin tailed widowbird, Caruthers cisticola, long tailed eagle, cattle egret, hadada ibis, African fish eagle, squacco heron, African jacana, African harrier hawk, crested barbet, brown chested lapwing, red faced barbet, white winged swamp warbler, and others can be seen while birding.
Boat Cruise
The boat cruise in Akagera National Park takes place on Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second largest lake. The park has four scheduled boat trip sessions: the first at 7:30 a.m., the second at 9:00 a.m., the third at 3:30 p.m., and the last at 5:00 p.m. During the boat cruise, you will see various tree species, hippos in water, crocodiles in water, and animals drinking water along the banks such as elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, monitor lizards, and bird species such as shoebill stork, papyrus gonolek, African jacana, pied kingfisher, hadada ibis, squacco heron, and malachite kingfisher, among others. The boat cruise lasts about 1 to 2 hours, but you can also hire a private boat and cruise when it suits you.
Sport fishing
Akagera National Park is home to several water bodies, including Lake Ihema, Lake Mihindi, Lake Gishanju, Lake Rwanyakizinga, and Lake Shakani. As a result, sport fishing in the park takes place on Lake Shakani’s shores. During sport fishing, you will use the catch and release method, but you may also take one to the lodge for lunch or dinner. You will catch fish such as tilapia and catfish, among others. Anglers can book a sport fishing activity at the park headquarters, and the park also hosts fishing tournaments that visitors can participate in while on a safari in Rwanda. Sport fishing can be combined with other activities such as game drives and boat cruises on Lake Ihema.
Accommodation in Akagera National Park
The park has luxury, midrange, and budget accommodation facilities where visitors on a Rwanda safari in Akagera national park can stay, such as Akagera Game Lodge, Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Magashi Camp, and Dereva Hotel, among others, which offer facilities like comfortable rooms with self-contained and shared bathrooms, free breakfast, swimming pool, restaurant that serves traditional and international dishes, well-stocked bar, laundry services, conference facilities, sitting lounge,
The national park also has camping sites, including Karenge Bush Camp, which is set up twice a year during the dry seasons of June to September and December to February, Muyumbu campsite, which is located in the northern part of the park entrance, Mutumba camp, which is located on Mutumba hill in the northern part of the park, and Shakani camp, which is located on the shores of Lake Shakani. The campsites provide spectacular views of the savannah, Lake Shakani, the Tanzanian plains, Lake Ihema, and various animal species such as antelopes, elands, and birds. Visitors who want to camp during their safari in Akagera National Park will find shared bathrooms and pit latrines, and they must bring their own water, firewood, and cooking supplies. Tents are also available for hire at the park reception for visitors who wish to camp privately.
Best Time to Visit Akagera National Park?
Akagera National Park is open year-round, but the best time to visit is during the dry season, which lasts from June to September and December to February. During the dry season, there is less rainfall in the park, so access roads are passable, there is short grass for clear viewing of wildlife, and animals gather around water banks to drink water, giving you an opportunity to get a close look at animals and take lots of pictures.
Location & Getting to Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park is located in north-east Rwanda and is accessible by both road and air.
Road transportation After landing at Kigali International Airport, the park is approximately 135 kilometers away and takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach. You will drive through Rwamagana to Kayonza, then turn right at the roundabout and drive to the petrol station on the left side, heading towards Kabarondo town. After the petrol station, turn left and drive for about 15 kilometers to Rwinkwavu junction, where you will see a signpost on the left directing you to Akagera National Park. From there, drive 13 kilometers to the park’s main gate. The drive from Kibungo or Rwamagana takes about an hour. However, because the roads in the park are not very good, 4WD vehicles are recommended to avoid getting stuck, especially during the rainy season.
You can also use public transportation, such as boarding a bus that runs daily from Kigali to Kayonza and Kibungo, disembarking at a junction and then hiring a private taxi or motorbike to get to the park headquarters.
Akagera Aviation arranges domestic helicopter flights to Akagera National Park. Akagera Aviation provides helicopters to take visitors to Rwanda’s national parks.
