Rwanda · East Africa
Akagera.
Akagera is Rwanda's savannah park in the east, restocked with lion and rhino and now a genuine Big Five destination.
Photo Ifeoluwa B. / Unsplash
Its recovery is one of the more remarkable conservation stories in the region: lions were reintroduced in 2015 and black rhino in 2017, in a park that had been almost emptied.
It gives a Rwandan itinerary a game-drive component without leaving the country, and the lake system along the Tanzanian border makes for good boating and birding.
How do you get to Akagera National Park?
By road from Kigali, about two and a half hours east to the park's southern gate. It is close enough to visit on a long day trip, though a night in the park allows a morning drive.
How big is Akagera National Park?
About 1,122 square kilometres, along Rwanda's eastern border with Tanzania. Its eastern side is a chain of lakes and papyrus swamps fed by the Akagera River, and Lake Ihema is the largest of them.
Does Akagera have the Big Five?
Yes. Lion were reintroduced in 2015 and black rhino in 2017, and white rhino have been brought in since. The park has been managed since 2010 by the Rwanda Development Board in partnership with a conservation non-profit, which led the recovery.
What is there to do in Akagera?
Game drives, night drives with park guides, and boat trips on Lake Ihema for hippos, crocodiles and waterbirds, including the chance of a shoebill in the swamps.
How long should you spend in Akagera?
One or two nights. It gives a Rwanda trip a savannah safari alongside the gorillas and chimpanzees, without a flight to another country.
What is there to see in Akagera?
What does Akagera pair well with?
- Kigali and Lake KivuKigali is the calmest capital in the region, and Lake Kivu gives Rwanda a genuine lakeside pause.
- Volcanoes National ParkVolcanoes is the Rwandan side of the Virunga massif and the most accessible mountain gorilla trekking in the world.
- Nyungwe ForestNyungwe is one of the oldest montane rainforests in Africa and Rwanda's chimpanzee and canopy-walk destination.
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