Akagera National Park is located eastern part of Rwanda along border with Tanzania, 2½ hours’ drive from Kigali Rwanda’s capital city. Akagera national park can be visited on a long day trip if your schedule is fixed, since the drive to the park is pleasant and far less hilly than to other parks in Rwanda.
Akagera national park was first gazetted in 1934, to protect animals and vegetation in three Eco regions of savannah, mountain and swamp. The park is named after Kagera River which flows along its eastern boundary feeding into several lakes the largest of which is Lake Ihema. The complex ecosystem of lakes and linking papyrus swamps makes up over 1/3 of the park and is the largest protected wetland in central Africa spanning about 1,120km² from the original 2,500 km² which is the total land size of the protected area.
Part of the park was settled in the late 1990s by former refugees returning after the end of the Rwandan Civil War, because of lack of land in the late 1990s, the western boundary of the park was regazetted and much of the land allocated as farms to returning refugees. However much of the best savannah grazing land is now outside the park boundaries, what remains of Akagera is some of the most diverse and scenic landscape in Africa.
Park activities
Game drives are the major activities for game viewing in Akagera National Park. However, the park is among the smallest savannah parks compared to other savannah parks in Africa, Akagera is certainly a gem in Rwanda. The landscape is awesome and allowing one to see a lot of different animals in a short period of time.
Akagera’s wildlife has increased significantly over recent years and the latest count estimated that the Park is now home to some 8,000 large animals. The new perimeter fence completed in late 2013 should also impact positively on numbers.
Wildlife to spot in the park while on your game drive include: Burchall’s, zebras, giraffes, impalas and topi (known as tsessebe in Southern Africa), bushbucks, eland, African swallows, vervet monkeys, baboons, wart hogs, mongoose, hippos, crocodiles, and even an elephant. There are actually more than 120 elephants in the park.
Other mammals include oribi, Defassa waterbuck, reedbucks, sable and roan antelopes and buffaloes. The best drive from south to north in a day. There are many animals in the park to make your travel experience unforgettable and the most glorious views from the top of the mountain across Lake Ihema to Tanzania.
Boat cruise is done on Lake Ihema where you see hundreds of hippos and crocodiles. The boat cruise gives you a chance to have clear view of more game including buffalo and elephants which tend to gather at the banks to drink water. You will also have an opportunity more water loving bird, such as fish eagles, shoebill stork, heron, kingfisher, papyrus gonolek among others. The boat trip on the lake costs 30 USD per person during the day for an hour with a guide.
