Top things to do in Akagera national park.
Top activities in Akagera National Park Akagera National Park is a savannah park situated along the Tanzanian border in eastern Rwanda. The Kagera River, which runs along the park’s eastern border and empties into several seral lakes, including Lake Ihema, Lake Shakani, Lake Mihindi, Lake Gishanju, and Lake Rwanyakizinga, is the reason it was gazetted in 1934. The 1,200-square-kilometer Akagera National Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including oribi, warthogs, waterbucks, impalas, giraffes, zebras, bushbucks, lions, leopards, and the big five mammals: elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, lions, and leopards.
The best activities in Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park game drives
One of the most well-known activities in Akagera National area is the game drive, which allows guests to explore the area in a cozy pop-up safari truck accompanied by a qualified driver guide. In Akagera National Park, game drives take place in the park’s northern region and can be conducted in the early morning or late afternoon. You can see buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, roan antelopes, topi, waterbucks, impalas, elands, oribi, bushbucks, zebras, and klipspringers, among other creatures, as you follow various game tracks during the game drive.
In order to provide tourists with a clear view of nocturnal creatures, Akagera National Park also offers night game drives, during which they can explore the park with an armed park ranger and spotlight lights. You can see nocturnal creatures including lions, leopards, hyenas, serval cats, civets, and observe hippos grazing during the two to three-hour night game drive in Akagera National Park.
Boat Cruise
An intriguing activity in Akagera National Park is taking a boat tour on Lake Ihema, the largest lake in the park’s southern region. There are three different times that boat cruises at Akagera National Park are offered: morning, day, and sunset. You can see a lot of hippos and crocodiles in the water while on the boat cruise. You can also see other animals like buffaloes, waterbucks, elephants, and warthogs drinking water along the shores, as well as aquatic birds like the elusive shoebill stork, malachite kingfishers, herons, and papyrus gonolek.
Observing birds
One of Rwanda’s top birding locations, Akagera National Park is home to more than 525 known bird species, including migratory, endemic, savannah, and water birds. The Shoebill Stork, Lesser Kestrel, Papyrus Gonolek, Long-tailed Cisticola, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, African Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Eremomela, Red Faced Barbet, Sooty Falcon, Striped Pipit, Western Reef Heron, Ross’s Turaco, Breasted Roller, Heuglin’s Robin Chat, Eleonoras Falcon, Brown Crested Lapwing, Bunting Crested Barbet, Bateleur, Carruther’s Cisicola, Marsh Owl, African Jacana, Rufous-crowned Roller, Greater Honeyguide, Hooded Vulture, Kittlitz’s Plover, Gull-billed Tern, Augur Buzzard, Green Woodhoopoe, Crowned Lapwing, Ring-necked Francolin, African Fish Eagle, Shelley’s Francolin, and African Harrier Hawk are just a few of the birding trails in Akagera National Park.
Akagera National Park nature walk
In Akagera National Park, the nature walk is a thrilling activity that allows you to explore the park on foot while being accompanied by an experienced park guide and an armed ranger to keep you safe. You will follow various hiking trails during the two to three-hour guided nature walk, where you can get up close and personal with various wildlife species, take in the cool breeze, take in views of the stunning hills, listen to the lovely sounds of various bird species, and take stunning pictures, among other things.
In Akagera National Park, sport fishing
One of the most popular and breathtaking activities in Akagera National Park is sport fishing. Lake Shakani is the location for sport fishing in Akagera National Park, where you can capture and release a variety of fish, including catfish and tilapia. Travelers must bring their own fishing gear if they want to participate in sport fishing.
Cultural excursions in the National Park of Akagera
A cultural tour is a fun activity in Akagera National Park that allows you to meet locals in nearby communities, learn about their culture and way of life, taste local food, watch traditional performances, learn how to milk their long-horned cows, and make local beer from bananas.
When to go to Akagera National Park is best.
Although you can visit Akagera National Park at any time of year, the best time to go is during the dry season, which is June, July, August, September, December, January, and February. This is because the park receives less rainfall during this time, which results in shorter vegetation, which makes it easier to see the various animals. Hiking routes will be dry and accessible during the dry season, and a variety of wildlife will congregate around water bodies to drink, providing you with the chance to see various creatures and capture quality photos.
How to reach the National Park of Akagera
It takes roughly two to three hours to drive from Kigali International Airport to Akagera National Park, which is situated in the eastern region of Uganda. From there, you can connect to the park headquarters via the towns of Rwamagana, Kayonza, and Kabarondo.
Accommodations in the National Park of Akagera
During the Rwanda safari, you can stay at a variety of lodging establishments in and around the park. Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Akagera Game Lodge, Magashi Safari Camp, Vintage Cottage, Akagera Resort and Country Club, Nyagasambu Realm Beach Hotel, Dereva Hotel, and other lodging options range from affordable to luxurious.
