Akagera National Park is a unique ecosystem in the land of a thousand hills Rwanda. it is the only Savannah national park of the country harbouring many animal and plant species, it is a place to find the so-called big five of the wilderness (lions, elephants, African buffaloes, leopards and Rhinos) the beautiful park is situated in the eastern part of Rwanda tucked along border with Tanzania. And was founded in 1934 as a way of protecting the animals that call this home. Most of the conservation area is covered in water bodies that are fed by river Kagera after which it is named. During the 1994 Rwanda Genocide, the park acted as a war ground and lost many of wildlife species to poachers, and a hiding place to the refugees that fled the war, thanks to the Rwandan Government, there has been steady recovery of the park an it’s composition. The park covers an area space of approximately 1122 square kilometers.
The park protects a large biodiverse environment covered mainly in swamp, an acacia forest dotted with shrubs, bushes, open grassy land and the park was named after Akagera River, this feeds most of the tributaries of the park and feeding Lakes, it flows east wards purring its water into Lake Ihema,These ecosystems act as homes to many animals including leopards, giraffes, waterbucks, lions, leopards, warthogs, hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, zebras, topic, roan antelope, Klipspringer, to mention a few many bird species including the prehistoric shoe bill stock along the banks of Lake Ihema which can be witnessed on boat cruise. Black Rhinos in Akagera National Park make the major highlight of the trip, views of lions in the park are possible together with leopards.
Major activities that can be enjoyed in the national park include the Game drives in Akagera National Park, the conservation area is an ideal area for wildlife lovers who go to Rwanda especially those who are in the hunt of the big five of the African wilderness these where named so by African hunters because of the strong nature of the animal species, these include lions, leopards, African buffaloes, African elephants, Black Rhinos), the drives begin early in the morning in order to catch morning riser and animals in action and afternoon drives for sundowners, the extensive drives in the conservation area will give you a better chance of getting closer to wildlife through the well distributed routes of the park for visitors to access the national park one needs to have paid park entrance fees, of about USD 40 per person.
Boat trips in Akagera National Park along Lake Ihema will give you a glimpse of wildlife, this is the second largest lake in the whole of Rwanda, happening four times on daily from 7:00am, 9am, 3pm and 4:30 pm, the cruise lasts for -/+ 2 hours while enjoying the best of Rwanda, on a good day you will spot many park animals including endemic birds like the prehistoric shoebill stock. Other park activities include birding, over 300 bird species call this home, it has been regarded as an important birding area of Rwanda notable species include the African king fisher, swamp fly catchers, the red faced barbet to mention a few.
There is available accommodation in the conservation area ranging from luxury to the best budget, example facilities include the Akagera Game Lodge, Ruzizi Tented Camp, Bush Camp Lodge, Travelers can have a choice of their own, and these offer the best accommodation and meals for their clients. The park can be accessed by road from the Kigali International Airport it is approximately 2 hour drive to the park area.