Akagera National Park is the only wildlife park in Rwanda located in the eastern region of the country along the international border with Tanzania. Akagera National Park was founded in 1934 and it was named after the Kagera River which is flows sideways of the park feeding Lake Ihema and other many smaller lakes in Rwanda. The park features beautiful open Savannah grasslands, montane and the swampy wetlands which are a home to the big five including the lions, buffaloes, Rhinoceros, leopards, and elephants.
Akagera National Park was once famous for the large population of African wild dogs however later a pandemic diminished their population to the least number of all animals dwelling in the park. Book interesting wildlife safaris in Rwanda with Mumwe safaris and enjoy fun parked game drives through the park to spot the numerous numbers of the park natives, and adventurous boat ride on Lake Ihema. Akagera National Park is also a home to a number of birds including the elusive shoebill.
Akagera National Park currently has coverage of 1,122km2 (433sq mi) and the park is approximately 2hrs and 30 minutes by road from Kigali the capital city of Rwanda to the east. Many wildlife safaris to Akagera National Park can be combined with a Kigali city tour and for long safaris in Rwanda, tailored safaris can be made to include a tour to Akagera National park and other parks like Volcanoes and Nyungwe as well.
The park is easily accessible with well-maintained roads for all types of vehicles although 4×4 safari vehicles are highly recommend for the game drives. Visitors on self drive safaris in Rwanda can as well find easy navigation to Akagera National and can be guided on game drives with the park guides and rangers. Rwanda is one of the easiest destinations to travel through even for the first time travelers.
Attractions at the Park
Game drives
Enjoy daily wildlife safaris to Akagera National Park all year round with our exclusive discounted Rwanda safaris. No safari in Rwanda is more fulfilling than a visit to Akagera National park, the park features interesting game drives through the various tracks and 4×4 safari vehicles are highly recommend for this particular game. Game drives can take between 1-2hrs and those that wish to stay longer can have a whole morning driving around the park in search for the mighty lions, leopards, African Buffaloes, giraffes, Zebras, Rhinos and so many more. These are best seen early in the morning and late evening. Guided safaris to AkageraNational Park are more rewarding since your guide will know every corner of the park and where to find particular animals at and the best time to see them.
Boat ride
A boat ride on Lake Ihema while on a safari in Akagera National park is such a great idea and is usually coupled with a game drive meaning it is one of the main activities in the park. This is the biggest lake in the park and is a home to a number of hippos and crocodiles. This lake is served by Akagera River among others and it is the biggest lake in the park with an approximate coverage of 90 square kilometers and a depth of 5-7 depending the part of the lake and the season. This very same lake forms a border between Rwanda and Tanzania at the eastern lake shore. Enjoy adventurous boat ride tours at Akagera National Park alongside the wildlife experience.
Bird Watching
Akagera National park features a rich bird checklist consisting over 525 bird species and this is a quite a good number of birds for a great bird watching safari. There is a big population of papyrus Gonolek, shoebill stork, a good number of great snipe, lesser kestrel, the northern part of the parks also features a number of Zambezian biome species, like Sauza’s Shrike, long tailed ccisticola and many other bird species. Bird watching at Akagera National park is among the main activities and many visitors flock this park all year to watch the birds especially at the swampy banks of Lake Ihema.
To book a wildlife safari in Akagera National park, send us an email at info@mumwesafaisuganda.com or call our reservations office at 0700135510.