Located three hours from Kigali in the eastern part of Rwanda bordering Tanzania, Akagera National Park is a stunning. This is another world of rolling hills, flat savannah, and Central Africa’s largest protected wetland and home to a wide variety of wildlife and ecosystems. The wealth of biodiversity includes almost 500 bird species and the famous Big Five: Akagera is a must-see on any trip to Rwanda.
Less well-known than the Serengeti or the Kruger, Akagera is a hidden gem. With just a handful of spectacular lodges, the park is a quiet haven that makes for spectacular wildlife sightings. The Akagera River, flowing along the reserve’s eastern boundary, is the most distant headstream of the Nile and Lake Victoria’s largest tributary. It feeds many of the ten lakes, each it’s own complex ecosystem bustling with life.
After many years of dedicated conservation efforts and the reintroduction of key species, Akagera National Park is again home to the Big Five of Africa: lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and the African buffalo. After hunting eliminated the population in the 1990s, combined efforts by the Rwanda Development Board, African Parks and other conservation groups has seen the reintroduction of lions, now numbering 58. Rhino’s have also recently been successfully re-homed with both endangered black rhino and white rhinos flourishing in the last five years. You’ll also find iconic animals such as giraffe, zebra, hyena, baboons, vervet monkeys and antelope (including the largest, Cape Eland).
The Park is a bird watcher’s paradise with almost 500 species, including 100 endemic. Some of the highlights include the marabou stork, grey crowned crane, herons, egrets, the white-backed vulture, papyrus gonolek, giant Kingfisher, cormorants, and the elusive, endangered shoebill stork. Migratory birds tend to be seen from November to April, though birdwatching in Akagera is excellent all year round.
Akagera’s wetlands are a sprawling and diverse habitat and, in addition to the many birds, you’ll spot hippos and crocodiles sunning themselves on the shores or splashing around in the water. Or if you want to get closer to the action, you can take a sunset boat cruise on Lake Ihema to observe the varied wildlife at water level.
To enjoy these extraordinary natural wonders, take a Safari in Akagera. You’ll explore Rwanda’s beautiful capital city, Kigali, before heading east to spend two nights inside the wildlife reserve. On this trip you will have two full days dedicated to game drives, giving you the best opportunity to spot all the Big Five.
