1 Day Akagera National Park Safari takes you to Rwanda’s only savanna national park for a true wildlife safari and an opportunity to spot the big five mammals. Akagera National Park is found in the Eastern province of Rwanda in a District called Kayonza, which is located at the border with Tanzania. The park is named after river Akagera and covers an area, which is 1,075 square kilometers in size. The park is close to the capital Kigali and provides an opportunity to spot Africa’s big five mammals in a short time while visiting Rwanda’s capital for a conference or business.
Akagera national park consists of lakes, rivers, forested zones, woodlands and vast savanna plains. The park was once rich with wildlife. In fact, it had one of the largest concentration of wild dogs in Africa but the canines were seen as pests and wiped out through poisoning by the Belgium colonialists. Later on, massive encroachment by humans led to conflicts with wildlife. The situation was made worse during the civil war of 1994. Large numbers of citizens used the park as an escape route. When they returned after the genocide, many settled in the park. Park animals were hunted down at will while lions were also poisoned and wiped out.
The new government of Rwanda was determined to rebuild the park as part of wider changes in the country. African Parks was chosen to manage the park, revamp infrastructure and take the lead in conservation efforts. Most of the park has now been fenced off and some of the parkland was reclaimed. The government has gone as far as to reintroduce lions, Rhinos and other wildlife that had become extinct in the park. It is now possible to spot Elephants, Hippos, Giraffes, Zebras, Kobs, Waterbucks and Bushbucks among many other mammals. The government has also encouraged community tourism to allow people living near the park benefit from tourism money.
Day 1: Pickup from Kigali and transfer to Akagera National Park – Game Drive – Afternoon boat ride – Transfer back to Kigali.
The journey to Akagera from Kigali starts at 6 am and takes two and a half hours. Our Driver will meet you at your hotel or a specific location after taking your breakfast. There will be a briefing before you start the journey through amazing Rwanda countryside. Arrival time is 9am. On reaching the park, you will register and be joined by a park Guide who is familiar with the terrain and best areas for wildlife viewing. This game drive will take you through vast Savannah plains, woodlands and lake shores to look for Zebras, Elephants, Buffaloes, Giraffes, Lions, black-tailed Mongoose, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, colobus monkeys and bush babies (evening). Expect to spend about 4 hours on the game. You will have picnic lunch or head to Akagera game lodge where most tourist have their lunch.
The afternoon boat cruise at Lake Ihema takes you to see hippos, crocodiles and countless water birds. Lake Ihema is the largest lake in the park and is found in the southern sector. The lake feeds several other water bodies within and outside the park. Lake Ihema covers an area equivalent to 90 square kilometers. The Eastern shores help define the border between Rwanda and Tanzania. As already noted, Lake Ihema is home to crocodiles, hippopotamus and several bird species – including lbis, herons, plovers, sandpipers, Hawks and others already mentioned. The boat ride takes about two hours. After the boat cruise, it is time to start the journey back to Kigali. You will reach the capital late in the evening.
End of 1 Day Akagera National Park Safari