Akagera National Park is a popular tourism destination and an impressive national park situated in the eastern part of Rwanda and covers about 1122 km2 of the total surface area dominated by low mountains, woodland, swamps and savannah. The popular park carries pride as the largest protected wetland in Central Africa and home to the big five mammals which include lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and rhinos.

The park is one of the biggest and oldest national parks in the country and offers the most remarkable wildlife viewing experiences. Right in the heart of Akagera lies Lake Ihema one of the key features in the park making it a centre for boat cruising activities while on Rwanda safari tours.

Initially, the park was a rich biodiversity forest reserve and very rich in flora and fauna before being gazetted as a national park in 1934 by the Belgian government.

The major purpose of gazetting Akagera was to ensure the proper safety of the wild animals away from external threats like poaching and other illegal wildlife activities. The aftermath of the tragic Rwandan genocide largely affected the park through illegal settlements and the killing of the park’s wild animals.

A huge number of wild animals including wild dogs, lions and rhinos remained a distance from the park until around 2009 and 2010 when the park was put under the leadership of Akagera Management Company (AMC) later introduced about 7 lions in Akagera before another introduction of about 18 black rhinos from South Africa. in 2019, the longest translocation from Europe to the African continent took place where about 5 more rhinos were translocated from Czech Republic to Rwanda.    

GAME DRIVES.

Game drives in Akagera National Park are a major tourism activity given the park’s enormous size and several natural endowments including the big five mammals and several bird species including the rare shoe bill.

While at Akagera National Park, visitors are allowed to engage in remarkable game drive experiences that are done in two sessions including the one that starts in the morning around 6:00 am and the last evening one that commences at 6:00 pm where visitors will have an opportunity to sight nightly animals including lions, leopards, civets and serval cats.

Choosing the right tour guide for a game driving experience in Akagera gets almost half of the job done as visitors will be able to get to the most fascinating spots for wildlife. Game driving takes about 1 to 3 full hours depending on the nature of driving trails and weather.

BOAT CRUISES ON LAKE IHEMA.

Boat cruises in Akagera NP allow visitors to enjoy the fresh waters of Lake Ihema while in the heart of the vast beautiful park. Boat cruises in the park are done in four sessions with the first one happening in the morning which commences at 7:00 am and 9 am while the last two at 3 and 4 pm respectively. Here visitors can expect to have the most remarkable views of aquatic animals like crocodiles and hippos.

Akagera National Park is one of the most visited tourism destinations in Rwanda and now accessing the park is quite easier as a result of improved infrastructure by the Rwandan government. Situated in the Eastern part of Rwanda, one can start their safari journey to Akagera from the Capital city of Kigali which is about 110km to the destination.

It takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes from Kigali to Akagera by road means of transport and the journey is filled with remarkable wildlife experiences. One can head as though they are going to the Kigali International Airport and just before they are about to reach the airport, a left turn can be taken to Rwamagana up to Kayonza before turning right to Kabarando town.

One is almost at the destination once they hit Kabarando as they can take a left turn onto the Rwinkavu junction where a signpost to the Akagera National Park can be seen.

Akagera National Park is an all-year tourism destination and the park can be visited throughout the whole year although the best time to visit Akagera is during the dry season of the year. The dry period of December to February and June to September stands as the best time to visit the vast park.

Unlike the rainy season, the game drives in the Akagera during the dry season are less stressful and visitors at the park can expect to have the most spectacular views due to the reduced vegetation of several mammal species as a result of reduced and short vegetation including buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, bushbucks, zebras and a wide range of different bird species.

The trails are accessible and not slippery during the dry season making it easier to maneuver through and have an ultimate wildlife viewing experience at the park.

High-end Lodges in Akagera NP:

• Ruzizi Tented Camp
• Mantis  Akagera Eco Lodge

Mid-budget Lodge in Akagera NP:

• Akagera Game Lodge

Low-budget Lodge in Akagera NP:

• Akagera Transit Lodge