Game drives in Akagera national park.
Akagera National Park, the only savannah national park in Rwanda, is situated in the country’s northeast and offers game drives. In addition to the big five mammals—elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, leopards, and lions—the national park was created in 1934 and is home to a variety of wildlife species, including Uganda kobs, bushbucks, elands, impalas, reedbucks, topi, and many bird species.
The most popular activity in Akagera National Park is the game drive, which gives visitors the chance to explore the savannah plains in a cozy pop-up safari vehicle accompanied by a qualified driving guide. In Akagera National Park, game drives are conducted in three different periods. For instance, the morning game drive begins at around 6:30 am, followed by the afternoon game drive at 12:00 pm and the evening game drive at 4:00 pm.
The ideal times to go game driving in Akagera National Park are early in the morning, when the animals are at their most active, and late at night, when they are returning to their resting places. You may see giraffes, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions, waterbucks, rhinos, topi, bushbucks, impalas, elands, and a few other kinds of birds while on the game drive.
In order to see nocturnal creatures that become active at night, Akagera National Park also provides night game drives, which allow visitors to tour the park at night using spotlight torches. It takes around two to three hours to get to the southern portion of Akagera National Park for a night game drive.
You will be accompanied on the night game drive by a knowledgeable ranger guide who will assist you see nocturnal species including lions hunting, leopards, hyenas, civets, and serval cats, as well as see hippos grazing and hear the sounds of nightbirds like nightjars.
When to go to Akagera National Park is best.
Although Akagera National Park is open year-round, the best time to visit is during the dry season, which runs from June to February. During this time, the park receives less rainfall, which makes the game drive tracks dry and manageable and the vegetation short, allowing you to see a variety of wildlife species. Animals will congregate around sources of water during the dry season, allowing you to see a lot of them and get stunning images.
How to reach the National Park of Akagera
Visitors may travel by road from Kigali to the park headquarters, which takes around two to three hours in a safari vehicle. Akagera National Park is situated in the northeastern region of Rwanda.
Additionally, you may get to Akagera National Park by air by scheduling a charter helicopter ride from Kigali International Airport to the park with Akagera Aviation.
Additional things to do at Akagaera National Park
Aside from game drives, Akagera National Park offers other fascinating activities. These include a boat cruise on Lake Ihema, where you can see crocodiles and hippos in the water, other animals along the shores drinking water, water birds, bird watching, where you can see a variety of bird species like the African Wattled Lapwing, Yellow-browned Citril, Common Squacco, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, and African Darter; cultural encounters, where you can interact with locals from nearby communities; sport fishing, where you can catch various fish; and guided nature walks, where you can get up close and personal with various fauna.
Accommodations in the National Park of Akagera
You can stay in a variety of lodging options in Akagera National Park, including Magashi Tented Camp, Karenge Bush Camp, Ruzizi Tented Camp, Akagera Game Lodge, Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, Akagera Transit Lodge, Akagera Rhino Lodge, Akagera resort and country club, Vintage cottage, and Nyagasambu Realm Beach Hotel, among others, at prices ranging from low to high.
