Akagera National Park is Rwanda’s only savannah national park situated in the eastern part of the country initially it covered an area space of approximately 2,500 square kilometres however due to the depletion of parking space of late it is only about 1200 square kilometres, the park stands as the largest protected wetland area of the land of a thousand hills first gazette in the 1934 and is one of the oldest parks of Africa, it is the best place to see the so-called big five of the wilderness(Lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, black rhinos), the national park is conveniently located close to the main entry point of the Kigali international airport.
Getting to Akagera National Park begins with first knowing how to get to Rwanda as a country, accessing Rwanda requires one to have a valid passport, yellow fever vaccination card, and a visa, to be issued a Rwandan visa one requires one to have a valid passport of at least 6 months to the date of expiry, travel plan and confirmation from the lodges, upon landing at the Kigali international airport you will proceed to the national park by car or by flight
Getting to Akagera National Park by road takes approximately +/-3 hours’ drive about 110 kilometres, it is a short drive to the ecosystem, 4*4 wheel car drives in safari vehicles, for example, land cruisers, safari drones, tourist vehicles, the vehicles can be hired on self-drive of with a driver guide from the company when doing the self-drive, it is important to note that in Rwanda vehicles keep right and drive at 60kilometres per hour. Guests can choose to hire a cub taxi from the airport and ask to be taken to the park, however, guests will require to still hire a game viewer vehicle from the park authorities to assist in doing the activities. It is possible to take a bus to Kayonza junction and proceed with a motorbike of a private car to the park entrance.
Driving is an interesting ride passing through small beautiful villages and towns, the backdrop of the rolling mountains is hard to miss, and driving into the park is the most popular way of reaching the Akagera National Park. It is possible to connect from other ecosystems like the Volcanoes National Park known for mountain gorilla species north of Rwanda, it takes 7 hours’ drive from the Nyungwe Forest National Park an ideal place to see primates with a highlight of chimpanzees.
Flying is another way of getting to the Akagera National Park, flights begin at the Kigali International Airport, and domestic flight companies like Akagera Aviation fly to the destination on daily scheduled flights in the morning and afternoon, or charter flights at the convenience of the traveller, it takes about 15 minutes to the park, the beauty of the scenic drive is undeniably amazing to see, upon landing, you will be transferred by road for a few minutes drive to the respective lodges that have been booked for your stay.