Akagera National Park is Rwanda’s wildlife gym it is the only conservation area of the land of a thousand hills displaying a Savannah type of climate home to many animal species including the big five of the African wilderness(lions, leopards, African buffaloes, Rhinos and African elephants), it is a large protected wetland area of Rwanda comprising of many lakes and rivers the park today is less the imagined size before the effects of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, it was used for protection by the victims of the war, they depended on it for their animal feeds, human settlements, which led to depletion and constant encroachment thanks to the Rwandan government the national park has been restored through continued conservation police’s and bodies governing the biodiversity-ecosystem for example the Akagera management company.
Akagera National Park features an incredible topography, it was named after River Kagera which flows in the park and pours its waters into Lake Ihema, Lake Shakani, and different waterbodies, the landscape is comprised of beautiful hills, Savannah grassy lands, dotted with shrubs, forest, thickets, rivers, lakes and marshy swampy areas. The national park used to initially cover an area space of approximately 2500 square kilometers however following human activity effects it was depleted into half, the Rwanda Development Board in coalition with other entities managed to conserve the remaining area space for sustainable environmental purposes.
Akagera National Park comprises various wildlife species mostly savannah types examples include Buffaloes, leopards, lions, Rhinos, Zebras, oribi, Jackson Harte beasts, klipspringer, water bucks, bush bucks, dunkers, crocodiles along the shores of the lakes, hippos, to mention a few. Primates present here are olive baboons and vervet monkeys, bush babies. The park is a haven of birds there are over 500 species of birds recorded in the national park some of the birds are endemics to the great Albertine rift Valley region and the gazetted area, popular sights of birds include African fish eagles, harrier hawks, crowned cranes, pelicans, Abyssinian ground hornbills, sunbirds, to mention a few.
Things to do in Akagera National Park include game drives which are the highlight of a Rwanda safari, through the well-distributed trails of the national park, drives are conducted in sessions beginning in the morning, afternoon, and evening times it take 2-3 hours enjoying the Savannah on open roof safari cars to enhance client view of animal species, Birding in Akagera national park, boat cruise experiences along the Lake Ihema which are usually conducted alongside the game drives and cultural encounters. The strategic location of the National Park close to the Kigali capital of Rwanda makes it possible to participate in the Kigali city tour after which proceed to the conservation area.
Akagera National Park can be visited any time of the year but is best during the dry season between the months of December –February and June- September. The park can be accessed by road or by flight, by road it takes approximately +/- 3 hours’ drive to the national park, and about 30 minutes flight from the Kigali international airport. There is available accommodation in the Akagera National Park where guests can possibly stay on their visit to the conservation area, example facilities include the Rusizi tented camp, Akagera game lodge, and Magashi tented camp to mention a few.
In conclusion, the park can be visited alongside other parks like the gorilla destination of the volcanoes national park, situated north of the national park, expect to see mountain gorillas, the gentle giants that live within the ecosystem without being captivated, and the Nyungwe Forest National park for chimpanzee tracking and the famous canopy walk.