Rwanda is one of the countries that come to a tourist’s mind while thinking of an Africa adventure. This landlocked country is located in East Africa and blessed with a number of wildlife species that offer remarkable safari experiences. The major wildlife species in Rwanda live in four of the countries major national parks.

Akagera National Park is among the leading wildlife destinations in Rwanda because of exclusive adventure it offers to tourists interested in discovering more about wildlife in savanna habitants. Akagera national park is located in eastern Rwanda and it’s the only savanna national park in Rwanda the land of a thousand hills.

Akagera National Park was in the early 1880’s the number one wildlife destination however when the 1993 Rwandese genocide broke out, wildlife was lost and after the genocide, a large portion of the land was allocated for settlement which led to yet another loss of wildlife. After the war the Rwandan government started restoring the ecosystems, which it did successfully. Today Akagera National Park is a home to a variety of wildlife species that can be explored by tourists interested in viewing the wild animals in their natural habitats.

What To Do At Akagera National Park

Game Drives

Being a savanna national park, Akagera is the best place in Rwanda for tourists to engage in game drives that offer them an opportunity to view the wild animals in the bushes as they feed, relax and carryon with their ways of life.

Akagera national park has a number of well developed trails that introduces tourists on game drives to a number of wild animals that include the recently introduced lions, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes, baboons, antelopes, elephants and many others. Game drives are very rewarding and are activities that one should surely do not miss.

Tourists interested in viewing the nocturnal animals can also go for night game drives which offer exclusive wildlife adventure. The guides at Akagera national park are well informed and have all the required information about the wildlife in the national park because of the experience they have in the field.

Birding

Akagera National Park is a home to a number of bird species and it’s therefore among the best birding destinations in Rwanda. While in Akagera national park, one cannot miss viewing birds like the shoebill stork, ring necked falcons, white spotted woodpecker, papyrus Gonolek, red chested sunbird, black billed weaver, green throated sun bird and many others.

Boat Cruises

Akagera National Park covers Lake Ihema one of the biggest water bodies in Rwanda. The lake has a number of aquatic wild animals that include hippos, crocodiles plus a number of bird species. A boat trip along this lake offers great scenic views and it’s a very enjoyable activity worth doing.

Where To Stay

Akagera national park has two main accommodation facilities that include Akagera game lodge and Ruzizi tented camp.

Akagera game lodge is a mid range accommodation facility and it offers standard services. The lodge is strategically located near lake Ihema and therefore offers great views.

Ruzizi tented camp on other hand is a luxury eco lodge and the best option for an eco tourist. Also located near the shores of lake Ihema, Ruzizi tented camp offers a very calm and great environment to the tourists and also great views with sights and sounds from the wildlife around the area.

Best Time To Visit

This great tourism destination can be visited at any time of the year. All the tourist activities are not so much affected by weather except for some few cases especially during the wet season.

A boost in tourism activities around Akagera national park and the re-introduction of the once extinct animals like lions is one of the greatest tourism successes in Rwanda. Today, this once forsaken national park is among the best wildlife destinations in Rwanda the land of a thousand hills.