Akagera National Park Holidays

Akagera National Park has scenic, undulating plains with dense broad-leafed woodland; lighter acacia woodland and rolling grassland with an extensive series of lakes linked by Papyrus swamps forming a sprawling wetland.  Thanks to an extraordinarily productive partnership between the Rwandan government and African Parks, game in the park has been recovering well after years of poaching and human presence, with African elephant, Cape buffalo, Masai giraffe and African lion, and a variety of antelope, being present.

You may encounter  the likes of Topi, Oribi, Bushbuck as well as Eland, Reedbuck; Sable, Roan antelope and Warthog. Bushpig. Sitatunga, Leopard, Spotted hyena, Civet and Serval  are also around, but less frequently observed. In the lakeland habitat, Nile crocs and Hippos are plentiful.

Exciting developments include the reintroduction of seven Lions in 2015. Today (May 2024), the park's Lion population has reached approximately 60.
 Under the management of the ever- inspirational African Parks, 18 Black rhino were reintroduced in 2017 and an additional 5 were added in 2019. This turned Akagera into a 'Big 5' park once again. Continuing translocation efforts have also seen 30 White rhino being introduced to Akagera.  This marvellous work has resulted in visitor numbers more than doubling between 2010 and 2019. The subsequent revenue earned has rendered Akagera 90% self-financing. Most of the road network has been graded; new roads and signage constructed and a new entrance gate has been built.

The park's birdlife is wonderful, with the international birding fraternity coming to seek the likes Red-faced barbet; Northern brown-throated weaver, Papyrus canary, the tricky Papyrus gonolek, White-winged warbler and Carruther’s cisticola. While Shoebill has been recorded in the park, it is extremely scarce and elusive here. The localised Brown-chested lapwing; Ruaha chat, Miombo wren-warbler, Souza’s shrike and Cabanis’ bunting also occur. Akagera's wetlands are home to impressive concentrations of aquatic birds and raptor enthusiasts should chalk up a number of exciting species.

Aside from game drives, activities include guided game walks, boat trips on lovely Lake Ihema and for those staying overnight in the park, night drives can also be arranged. A range of immersive excursions are also on offer, during which guests can meet with rangers and other park staff, so as to learn about the diverse conservation programmes under way.  As part of its commitment to sustainability, the park management banned single-use plastic items in Akagera from 1st June 2024.

While Akagera doesn't necessarily boast very high game densities, the trade-off is that this is a park you can explore for hours without encountering another soul.

The drive from Kigali takes only about 3 hours on a pretty good road and you can overnight at one of the properties we feature in our website.