Akagera national park.
Akagera national park is located in the eastern part of Rwanda and is the biggest park covering 1122sqkm. The park was named after the Kagera River that flows from Tanzania passing via Rwanda. The park is blessed with amazing wildlife animals and different bird species. The forest is reserved with rich biodiversity in fauna and flora species. Akagera national park is the largest and oldest in Rwanda harboring a large population of wildlife animals like elephants, lions, buffalos, leopards, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, antelopes, and many more. However, the park is the best destination for birding where different bird species are spotted endemic birds, forest birds, woodland birds like kingfishers, Egyptian birds, African fish eagle, African harrier hawk, African jacana, Bateleur, Squacco heron, and many more.
What are the activities taking place in Akagera national park?
Game Drive
The park is the biggest and oldest, a game drive is the best ideal in Akagera national park. The game drive can either be early morning or evening hours in safari vehicles. While in search of wildlife like leopards, lions and hyenas are spotted because these predators prefer to hunt at night or early morning and usually go into hiding as the heat from the sun increases. During the day game drive, carnivore wildlife is spotted and these are elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, Zebra, Giraffes, and many more. During the game drive, visitors are allowed to take photos of wildlife and beautiful wildflowers and landscapes.
Boat cruise
Akagera national park is the best way to spend an afternoon by taking a boat ride on Lake Ihema. During the boat cruise, visitors are able to spot animals hiding under the shade because of the heat from the sun as others come to the water for cooling off and drinking like a school of hippopotamus, buffalos, elephants, antelopes, zebras, crocodiles, and many more. While on the boat, the visitors will explore the beautiful Crystal Lake.
Birding.
The park inhabits over 500 bird species. Bird lovers will find the park rewarding as it offers bird opportunities to spot endangered birds, water birds, and savannah birds, endemic birds thus making large diversity of bird species in the park-like shoebill, papyrus gonolek, white egrets, weavers, kingfisher, and many more. Due to the fact that birds move from one place to another, during a game drive, nature walk, and boat cruise still different bird species are viewed. Like yellow sunbird, swamp flycatcher, marabou stork, grey crowned crane, herons, Black-headed & Viellot’s Black Weavers, Hamerkop, Pied Crow, Sacred & Hadada Ibis and the Long-crested Eagle.
Hiking and nature walk.
While in the park, visitors will be accompanied by armed rangers who will take them through hiking and nature walks in the neighboring local communities where visitors will spot local herb doctors, and traditional dances, and support the local art and craft market. During hiking and nature walks, some bird species are spotted like kingfishers, owls, egrets, and grey crown cranes.
Due to the fact that Rwandese are cattle-keeping people during the nature walk around the park, visitors have the opportunity to observe and participate in traditional cattle grazing, milking, and traditional milk storage in calabashes for preservation. You then go through the process of converting milk into different products like traditional yogurt, and ghee, and lastly take part in preparing a meal with some of the ingredients from the milk products. At the end of the nature walk, you will have an unforgettable moment in Rwanda.
How to access the park?
The park can be accessed either by road or by flight. The guide will use Rwamagana town from Kigali to Akagera national park entering through the southern gate. Distance to the entrance will take a 2-hour drive and the exit will be at the northern gate of the park. The 2-hour drive is worth it due to spotting the beautiful scenery of Rwanda along the way.
Those visitors who don’t prefer traveling by road can do a flight from Kigali to the park using the services of Akagera Aviation.
Where to stay while in Akagera national park?
Are you wondering where to stay for a night while you’re in Akagera national park? Due to other options of accommodation in other parks sounding Akagera national park, the park has limited lodges some of them a luxury, mid-range and budget. Due to limited lodges, visitors are advised to do the bookings in time at least 6 months before the travel, especially in high season when lodges are in high demand. If at all some visitors are more interested in camping, some places do accept where its followed with some equipment like toilets, camp tents, showers, campfire and many more. Some of these hotels include Akagera game lodge, forest cottages, GKAT Resort, Akagera Transit lodge and many more.
Apart from Akagera national park, what other national parks are found in Rwanda?
Rwanda has only four national parks and these are Akagera national park which is the oldest and largest compared to others, Nyungwe forest national park, volcano national park and Gishwati-mukura national park. Some of these parks have some things in common and which of these are spotted during a game drives, nature walk, hiking, fishing, boat cruise, and birding.
Nyungwe forest national park.
The park is located in the southwestern part of Rwanda covering 1019sqkm. The park is enriched in biodervisity with beautiful landscapes like swamps, heath, bamboo thickets and open woodlands however with the endowed great species diversity with over 1000 plant species, 85 mammals, 38 reptiles, and 120 butterfly species, and 300 birds including 29 endemics. Nyungwe forest national park is the best destination for primates like chimpanzees and large troops of white and black Colobus monkeys.
Hiking trails and steep landscape makes it a perfect destination for nature walks such as Canopy Walk, Karamba trail, Umugote trail, Umoyove trail, Kamiranzovu trail, Muzimu trail, Ngabwe trail and many more thus spicing it up as an additional activity.
Volcano national park.
Volcano national park is the best destination for primates like mountain gorillas which are accessed through booking gorilla permits at $1500 per person. During the gorilla trekking, the visitors are expected to pack cameras, comfortable hiking boots, hiking sticks, long trousers, long stockings, a long t-shirt, water and snacks. The park also includes Wildlife, vegetation, Volcanoes, and Dian Fossey’s tomb, among others. Volcano national park is best for game driving, birding, nature walks, hiking and boat cruises. The park is shared in other two countries like Uganda which is Bwindi Impenetrable national park and mgahinga national park and Congo with Virunga national park through the Virunga conservation area.
Gishwati-Mukura national park.
The park is located in the northeastern part of Rwanda from Lake Kivu. The Gishwati –Mukura national park is the newest and smallest park in Rwanda however Mukura was already a protected forest from a wildlife reserve. The park inhabits the primates that are chimpanzees, golden monkeys, L’Hoest’s Monkeys, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys.
The park can be accessed by either road which takes 2-hour drive from Kigali international airport but if at all you ops for a flight; it will take like 30 minutes to reach the park from Akagera Aviation.
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