Akagera national park is famously known as the largest national park, which is located in the Eastern region in Rwanda, and it covers a total surface area of about 1,200 square kilometers. More so, it was established as a national park in 1934. Akagera national park derived its name from River Kagera and this park is a beautiful destination to visit while on safari in Rwanda because it is surrounded with green grass vegetation, rolling hills, savannah grasslands and woodlands and stunning waterbodies such as; Lake Mihindi, Lake Rwanyakizinga, Lake Shakani, Lake Gishanju, Lake Ihema that provide tourists with scenic views.
In 2010, the government of Rwanda worked together with other organizations and Howard Buffet foundation with an aim of conserving and protecting all the wildlife species in the country. More so, this national park is commonly visited because it is known to be a home to the big five animals such as; lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalos, leopards. However, apart from the big five, it also harbours many other wildlife species that tourists can sight see as they tour around the park such as; hyenas, waterbucks, topi, crocodiles, warthogs, mongoose, elands, several cats, bush pigs, giraffes, side-stripped jackal, reedbucks, duikers, impala, black masked civet, zebras, bush pigs, sitatunga antelopes and roan antelopes, klipspringer and other primate species; bush babies, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons and many others.
More so, Akagera national park is the best destination for bird lovers to visit while on their birding safaris in Rwanda because it harbours around 500 bird species and these species are easily spotted within the savanna plains, papyrus swamps, forests which they consider as their natural habitats and birders can also choose to embark on boat cruise on the lakes which gives them a chance to see many bird species in the sky such as; the African fish eagles, cormorants, crowned cranes, egrets, Herons, Marabou stork, open billed stork, red-faced barbet, Ross’s turaco, Meyer’s parrot, Sauza shrike, lilac-breasted roller, arnot chat, back headed gonolek, double toothed barbet, , long tailed cistola, rare shoebills stork and many others.
Things to do while exploring in Akagera National park.
Tourists who travel from all over different parts of the world to explore in Akagera national park are always granted opportunities to engage in very many interesting activities where they get to learn new experiences and create remarkable memories. Therefore some of these activities include; birdwatching, wildlife game viewing, game drives which are done in different sessions depending on what time the tourists prefer to do and they can opt to jump on the drives either in the morning, afternoon or in the evening. More so, they can also go for sport fishing which is best done along the shores of lake Shakani and get chances to catch fish species like; cat fish and tilapia, boat cruise, community visits, guided nature walks, cultural encounters. There are also other exciting activities that tourists can do while outside the park and these include; visiting the presidential palace, the Rusumo falls, visiting the Kigali city markets, the museum, the genocide war memorial centers and museums and many others.
The best time to go on a safari in Akagera National park.
Tourists planning to travel to Akagera national park in Uganda while on their safari can always choose to travel at any time in the year however, the dry season is considered the best time to travel which is between months of June to September and from December to February where there are less rains and the grass vegetation is always short which enables the tourists to capture classic views wildlife species and all other interesting things in the park.
Where to stay while exploring in Akagera National park.
Akagera National park always has very good accommodation facilities that are always available for their guests. However, these lodging facilities range and are put in different classes such as; from budget, mid-range and luxury which enables guests to choose where to stay according to their preferences and where it matches with their budget. Therefore, some of these lodging facilities include; the Ruzizi tented lodge, Akagera game lodge, Dereva hotel, Magashi lodge, Karenge bush camp and many others.
Contact our trusted tour operators in case of any more information and inquiries about Akagera national park and book with our tours and travel companies such as; Focus East Africa Tours who offer the best tour packages while on your safari in Rwanda.
