Akagera National Park is Rwanda’s only Big 5 park lying along the country’s eastern border with Tanzania, sprawling over a 1,122km2 of diverse habitats characterized by extensive wetlands, woodlands, grassland plains, lakes and rolling hills. The scenic and relatively flat wilderness park is named after river Kagera that meanders through a maze of papyrus swamps and marsh creating several lakes before exiting in the northeast of the park to drain into Lake Victoria.
Now recovered from extensive poaching of the late 80s and 90s, Akagera National Park boasts an abundant and incredible wildlife populations including the African wildlife heavyweight and a 500-bird checklist making it a top wildlife safari and birding hotspot.
Today, a wildlife safari in Akagera National Park offers an off-the-beaten-track and unmatched African wilderness experience in its uncrowded, untamed and game-rich habitats. Excellent lodging amenities occur within and outside the park suitable for all comfort and budget.
Things to do while at the Akagera National Park
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Take a Big 5 Wildlife Safari in Akagera National Park
Take wildlife game drives, and explore this vast park’s habitats characterized by woodlands, savanna grasslands, wooded ridges, and extensive wetlands fed by the Kagera river.
Excellent game tracks spread out from visitors’ reception to explore these habitats for up-close encounters with many herbivores including herds of African Elephants, Plains Zebra, herds of Cape Buffalo, the Impala, Topi, Common Eland, Defassa Waterbuck, Impala and Bushbuck among others.
The recently reintroduced Southern White and Black Rhino have totally colonized their former ranges and now encountered with ease while towers of Masai Giraffes tame the acacia woodlands. The papyrus wetlands host the shy Sitatunga while the semi-aquatic Hippo is commonly seen in large schools. The prehistoric Nile Crocodiles is encountered on boat cruise safaris as dozens bask on sand banks.
Carnivores here are flourishing with healthy prides of Lions, the elusive Leopard, Side-striped Jackal are regularly seen on drives, but the skittish Hyena require very early or night safari drives.
Whereas this true wilderness can be visited as a Day-visit from Kigali the capital, it’s more rewarding to have at least two days to explore and appreciate this natural wonder. And while here, take it slow to watch the spectacular scenery of rolling hills, watch out for prints, tracks, and signs by the park residents, listen for sounds and clattering, rejuvenate your mind and spirit to enjoy this true African Wilderness.
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Birdwatching in Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park is a top birding destination and Rwanda’s best birding hotspot due to a diversity habitats it protects, where a checklist of 500 species is recorded. These bird-rich habitats include vast wetlands, broad-leafed woodlands and grasslands. The Kagera river wetland complex is the largest protected wetland in the Central Africa and an Important Bird Areas (IBA’s) hosting several Lake Victoria restricted biome species including Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Lesser Jacana, White-winged Swamp Warbler, Carruthers’s Cisticola, Northern Brown-throated Weaver and Shoebill plus seasonal visiting Palearctic migrants.
The wetlands and its numerous freshwater lakes host various waders including; African Darter, Great Cormorant, Grey and Purple Herons, Little and Great Egrets, Blue-breasted Bee-eaters, Long-toed Lapwing, Yellow-billed Ducks, Spur-winged Goose and more. Malachite and African Pied Kingfishers are common on water edges.
Akagera’s acacia woodlands and shrub support a cast of species most of which are at their northern range limits including Long-tailed Cisticola, Southern Black Flycatcher, Souza’s Shrike, White-faced and Black-collared Barbets and the Red-faced Barbet an East African endemic.
Other highlights include; Purple-crested Turaco, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Greater Honeyguide, Narina Trogon, African Grey-hornbill, Green Woodhoopoe, Stripped Kingfisher, Ruppel’s Starling, Lilac-breasted Roller, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Golden-tailed and Bennett’s Woodpeckers, Brown Snake Eagle, Bare-faced Go-away birds Pale-eyed Black Tit, feature regularly on our checklists. Grassland specialists include; Rufous-naped and Flappet Lark, Grassland Pipit, Senegal and African Wattled Lapwings, Clapperton’s, Cucqoi and Crested Francolins occur while Southern Ground Hornbill and Black-bellied Bustard are rare.
Large raptors represented include Martial, Walberg, Bateleur, and Tawny Eagles while vultures are Griffon, White-backed, White-headed and Lappet-faced.
On night drives, Spotted and Verreaux’s Eagle-owls, Freckled, Black-shouldered are seen and heard with Swamp nightjar rare, and when in the right season Pennant-winged Nightjars in their breeding glory.
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Take Boat Cruise Safari on Lake Ihema
A boat cruise safari on Lake Ihema is a popular highlight while on a safari in Akagera NP. The boat safari explore the wildlife rich banks getting you up-close to the semi-aquatic Hippo pods, Nile Monitor, and Nile Crocodiles and Otters. Birding is excellent where highlights include; Yellow-billed Ducks, White-faced Whistling Ducks, African Darter, Reed and Great Cormorants, Pink-backed Pelicans, Long-toed Lapwing, and the delicate African Jacana. The quiet water edges host the rare and elusive Finfoot. Waterside woodlands host colonies of Village, Lesser Masked, Little and Slender-billed Weavers and hunted by Shikra and African Goshawk while Hamerkop known for their gigantic nests patrol the water edges. Excellent private sundowner cruises outside the normal schedule are arranged on request.
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Take a Community Tour
Communities around Akagera National Park offer interactive community experiences where one engages in variety of activities that include beekeeping, traditional milk experiences and traditional crafts often by women cooperative groups. These local guided excursions last anywhere from 2-4 hrs or even up to a full day.
More Important Information about Akagera National Park
Getting to Akagera National Park
Akagera national parks’ Kiyonza entrance gate lies only 2.5hrs drive from Kigali City. In the north of the park, Nyungwe gate is an exit only – visitors cannot enter the park here.
Where to stay while at Akagera national Park
Akagera national park is served with excellent facilities both within the park an along its boundaries. The style and comfort is variable ranging from campsites, to luxury tented camps that offer that wilderness feel to standard roomed facilities.
Located inside the park, the excellent Ruzizi Tented Lodge sits on the edges of Lake Ihema while its cousin Karenge Bush Camp is set in the north part of the park offering an intimate wilderness expereince. Wilderness Magashi Camp, a new comer in Akagera National Park sits on the shores of Lake Rwanyakizinga surrounded with a haven of wildlife and birdlife, offers private and intimate luxury expereince in the wilderness. The long standing and newly rebranded Mantis Akagera Game Lodge is another excellent facility set along the ridge offering an all-round views of the Akagera wetland with its chain of lakes.
The park edges is dotted with diverse accommodation facilities catering for all classes of comfort from super luxury to mid-range to private campsites and community guesthouses.