Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park covers a massive area of 2,500 km². This gorgeous Park is located in north east Rwanda surrounded by Akagera River waters bordering Tanzania.
Looking at the rest of Rwanda, Akagera National Park has the typical grasslands of the African Savannah. It is enriched with series of lakes, marshes and papyrus swamps. Wildlife is not a question in this case because of the existence of a variety of elephant, buffaloes, gorillas, zebras, antelopes, lions, leopards, giraffes and chimpanzees. Akagera National Park has also got some rare species of birds some which include; eagles, papyrus ganolek, and bizarre shoebill stork.
Akagera National Park is known in the whole world for baring the largest species of antelopes (statuesque Cape eland) and this invited almost every type of tourists to come to this Park. Akagera Game Lodge, Dereva Hotel and many others.
Situation/ Location of Akagera National Park;
Akagera National Park is found in the eastern region of Rwanda and was gazetted as a protected area in 1934 covering an area of 1,200 sq km in the low-lying grasslands, woodlands and protecting wetlands in the central Africa. It is an amazing Park if you get to know about the originality of its name. It was derived from the twisty Akagera River which used to surge along its eastern boundary powering into Lake Ihema, which is the largest and one of the several lakes enclosed in the Park.
Infact Akagera National Park is the most attractive and notorious savanna reserve.
Attractions in Akagera National Park.
Akagera National park is dominated with a wide number of attractions which include; Akagera River which is a productive habitant for many wildlife species like different bird species, Lakes like; Ihema, Kivumba, Hago, Mihindi, Rwanyakizinga which are areas for different aquatic life.( Crocodiles and Hippos)
Akagera National Park is a large concentration area for mammals e.g. Hippos, Crocodiles, Topis, Leopards, Elephants, Buffalos, Bush baby, bushbuck, lions, Maasai giraffe, gazelles, impala, baboons, Oribi, Butchel's zebra and warthogs. In this case, Endemics include Jacanas, ibis, herons and sand pipers and Mitumba hills.
Accommodation
The more recommended Hotel or Lodge for visitors is Akagera Game Lodge; it is modern and appropriate for the Park visitors and is found just inside the Kabarondo entrance. This Lodge is strategically located overlooking Lake Ihema which offers good and spectacular views of the Park.
Accessibility to Akagera National Park
The best way to get to Akagera National Park is to use the main surfaced road at Kabarondo, about 15km north of Kibungo. All tourists or visitors who always wish to move individually are advised to use a 4 wheel drive safari vehicle for incase it rains, some dirty roads to the Park become impassable especially when it rains. Reaching Akagera on public transport is quite problematic. Any minibus-tax travelling between Kayonza and Kibungo can drop you at the junction, from where the only realistic option is a motorbike-taxi and you assume that you can find one.
When you get into the Park, there is no walking individually. I mean you are supposed to have a guide always and whenever you want to get to some where for as long as you are in the Park and not staying at Game Lodge. Akagera Park is accessed within three and half hours drive north east of Kigali, on the eastern border with Tanzania.
In this case, visitors are supposed to use the Kabarondo gate approximately15km north of Kibungo.
Activities at Akagera National Park.
Akagera National Park offers a wide range of activities some of which include; Game Drives that are normally on Lake Ihema. This activity offers a close encounter of crocodiles, hippos and some small number of bird species for example open-bill stork, African darter and cormorant. On this boat safari, you are also able to see water birds some of which include; the colorful African jacana which is always seen trotting on floating vegetation, fish eagles, jewel-like malachite kingfisher hawk and some pied kingfishers hover high above the water to swoop down on their fishy prey.
This Park also offers birding activities of a variety of bird species like; Yellow-backed Weavers, Brown-backed Weavers, Fish Eagles, swamp Flycatchers, African Jacana, Blue-breasted Bee-eaters, Pied Kingfishers, Crested Cranes, Swallows, Kites, Sunbirds, Starlings, Sacred Ibis, Pelicans, and Marabou Storks and it is because of the availability of productive birding habitants which qualify Akagera National Park to be a home of many different bird species. Some of these areas are; the shores of Lake Ihema, Birengero, Hago, Shakani and the southern part of the Giraffe area.
For those of you who are fascinated with Tennis activities, Akagera National Park offers them at Akagera Game Lodge and it is an exciting Activity liked by a good number of tourists.
Camping alongside the picturesque lakes of Akagera and Fishing from Lake Ihema are also wonderful activities at Akagera National Park.
Visitors are not allowed to
- Visit the Park before 07:00am and after17:00pm
- Ignore instructions from the guides
- Disrespect the rights of the animals especially the flight distance
- Have enjoyment without the ranger guide where necessary
- Go beyond point 19 in the point of Gabiro Guest House
- ORTPN is not responsible for any injuries sustained from animals within the park
