A boat cruise in Ihema Lake is one of the most thrilling things to do while in Akagera National Park. The beautiful lake is the second largest lake in Rwanda offering great experiences to travelers. The national park was established in 1934 as a national park, it comprises a rich biodiverse environment home to several animal species including the so-called big five of the wilderness (Lions, Leopards, African Buffaloes, African elephants, and Rhinos), the park faces so many depletion from the effects of the political instabilities in Rwanda, thanks to the Rwandan government for the continued conservation policies, the park’s glory was restored and species reintroduced to the national park.
Lake Ihema is fed by River Kagera, after which the National Park is named, a boat cruise in Ihema Lake allows visitors to view abundant wildlife species including water animals for example hippos, and crocodiles, along the papyrus swampy areas visitors have the chance to view birds like the gonolex, jacanas, herons, swampy flycatchers, pelicans, African harrier hawk, brown chested lapwing, African fish eagles, grasshopper buzzard, lesser jacana to mention a few. Boat cruise experiences are conducted by experienced guides before you get into the water you will be briefed about safety, boat cruises are conducted in sessions, in the morning afternoon and evening times for sundowners.
Other activities to do in Akagera National Park include game drives, which are conducted in the early morning in search of wildlife expect to see waterbucks, zebras, buffaloes, giraffes, topi, bushbucks, reedbucks, roan antelopes, to mention a few, the park allows to do night drives which are usually conducted with the help of an experienced armed game ranger, Akagera national park is the perfect destination to g birding, there are over 400 species of birds that have been recorded in the ecosystem some of which are endemics to the destination.
Akagera National Park can be visited any time of the year depending on the client’s preference of activity, for game drives and boat activity along Lake Ihema, it is best done during the dry season, as the grasses tend to be shorter to view wildlife, drier game routes and low water levels which gives it a perfect blend to enjoy the national park experience. The dry seasons last during the months of December –February for the short time and the longer time in the months of June, July, August and September. These times are also referred to as peak tourism season hence expect more travelers. For travellers expecting to go birding, it is best to visit in the wet season a fruiting time which attracts many birds including migratory species.
The park can be accessed from the Kigali International Airport, by 2 ways one is to drive through the countryside of Rwanda, it takes 3 hours drive to arrive at the national park, this can be arranged by your ground handler or by use of public means. The other option is to fly to the destination flights takes about only 30 minutes.