Rwanda’s eastern boundary has always been vital to this park because the serenity waters of Kagera River found along this area flow into Lake Ihema in the heart of the park and feeds other small lakes therein. It’s the basis on which the park was named Akagera. This park was established in the year 1934 by the Belgian government, known for its enormous populations of African wild dogs that were very huge to the extent of being called pests by Belgian government but the so-called pests got extinct in 1984 as they all succumbed to a pandemic.
Over the years after the establishment of the park, various animal species were introduced, like black rhinos in 1957, Masai giraffes in 1986 but their survival was soon threatened by poaching and civil unrests at the time. The park once had a population of over 300 lions in the 1990s but they all perished in an aftermath of the Rwanda genocide as they were killed by farmers who settled in the park.
Rwanda development Board and the African Parks Network entered into a 20- year agreement to re-establish the park in 2009 and since then a lot of measures have been put in place to re-build the lost brimming park like increasing security of the park, reintroducing extinct local animal species among others. With the re-introduction of lions and black rhinos in the park, Akagera now brags about harboring all the big five animals and the population of mammals has increased from 4,000 in 2010 to over 13,500 currently.
Location of the park
The north-eastern fringe of Rwanda is where the collection of unmatched big five wild animals are found. Akagera national park covers 1085km2 and straddles between Rwanda and Tanzania. A 2 hours’ drive from Kigali will lead travelers to Kayonza district – Akagera’s home which is 110km from Kigali city.
Uniqueness of the park.
Akagera national park is the only park in the country that has all the big five animals. A trip destined to Akagera gives tourists a chance to have a glimpse of Rhinos, Buffaloes, Elephants, Leopards and the lion – King of the jungle all in one place.
It is the biggest national park in the country. The land of thousand hills is gifted with four unique national parks and Akagera happens to be the biggest where it was originally occupying 2500 km2 but they were later reduced to resettle the Rwandan genocide refugees.
Akagera national park is also the only savannah park found in the country.
Activities in Akagera national park.
Game drives.
Akagera national park is well established for game drives and it is one of the many activities carried out here. It includes three sessions with the morning being the first, plus afternoon and night game drive sessions. The population of wildlife in the park has doubled ever since some animals like the black rhinos, lions were re-introduced in the park a few years back.
The morning game drive sets off at 6:30am and is concluded by 11:30 am, afternoon session comes in thirty minutes just after the first one and resumes at 12pm and ends by 5pm. The epic session is the night game drive that resumes from 5:30pm and ends at 8:30 pm. The best time to embark on the game drive is during the morning hours when animals are out to hunt for food and evening hours while they are going to rest.
Boat cruises in the park
The origin of the waters on which the boat cruise is undertaken is the largest tributary of Lake Victoria called River Kagera because it feeds its waters in Lake Ihema. Lake Ihema provides a chance to the tourists to watch the wondrous scenery of the park on the deck of a boat.
The park conducts four boat trips where the earliest is done at 7:30 am, next shift for mid – morning session is 9:00am, 3:00pm serves as the afternoon trip and the sunset trip starts at 4:30 pm. Morning trips cost $35 while afternoon / evening boat cruises cost $ 45 per person.
Lakes
The park has a variety of lakes that are all fed by the shimmering waters of River Kagera but fishing is perfectly carried out at Lake Shakani.
Camping in the park.
Natural environment in the savannahs add greatness to the individuals who choose to spend a night in this wilderness. The park has three camping sites where tourists can book and have a pleasant night that they will live to remember away in the middle of the forest with cries of various animals that add fun and fright to the visitors.
The Shakani Akagera campsite offers visitors the chance to spend the whole night watching hippopotamuses graze the night away and also get a chance to fish at their convenience because the brimming waters of Lake Shakani are the only ones where fishing is permitted.
Mutamba Akagera campsite is famed for harboring large herds of elands, roan antelopes while the Muyumba campsite offers visitors magnificent views of Lake Ihema and Lake Shakani.
Birding
Visitors get to feel the easy freedom of birds as they see them fly high in the sky and land at any time, they feel like dropping on the ground. The rolling hills, swampy areas, woodlands and forests all combine their effort of providing a habitat to over 480 bird species found in the park. Visitors are entirely graced with watching both residential and migratory birds like crested barbet, black headed gonolek, and green hornbill among others.
Cultural experiences
A walk into the communities around the local people reveals a lot about the Rwanda’s to the tourists as they get to participate in fascinating and traditional activities like cow milking, brewing beers locally from bananas, working in the farm among others that take tourists to the moon as some of the activities are not done in their countries.
Walk the line hiking tour in the park.
The park has fence attendants who are supposed to walk over the 120km boundary wall of the park to ensure that the park is entirely protected and safe therefore tourists can embark on this venturing gesture of feeling for the attendants who protect them by going through what they go through.
This two-hour walk starts at the entrance of the park through the meandering landscape of the area and finally ends at the top of a ridge that gives a bird’s eye view of the entire park to the tourists.
ATTRACTIONS IN AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK.
Wildlife
The park is comprised of savannah grasslands hence tourists should come and quench their thirst of savannah wildlife because animals like savannah elephants, roan antelopes, zebras, elands, topi, buffaloes, okapi and a lot more can be glimpsed while in the park.
The forested regions of the park are loving to the primates that’s why tourists can spot velvet monkeys, blue monkeys in this park. Not forgetting the epitome beauty of the park being that it collects all the big five animals hence tourists can get chances of watching the leopards, buffaloes, rhinos, elephants and their king the lion all in this park.
Water bodies
The park is made up of swamp fringed lakes that can be spotted all over the place like Lake Ihema, Shakani, Gishanju, Mihindi and Lake Rwanyakazinga that all sustained by the waters flowing from the notable Kagera River. Touring the water bodies in the park is like killing two birds with the same stone because tourists will chance watching gigantic water animals like the hippopotamus and wondrous water birds like the shoebill at the same time. Not forgetting that these water catchment areas also offer exciting activities like boat cruises, fishing that the tourists can engage in to brighten up their moods while in the park.
Birds
The park has various areas that are destined homes for birds like swamps, forests among others hence tourists are graced with watching over 500 species like the falcon naumanni, long- crested eagle, grey- backed fiscals and different other species both indigenous and migratory that can be spotted chirping in the park.
How to get to Akagera national park
By road, visitors take around 2-3 hours to arrive at the park but it’s important to note that a 4×4 wheel car is highly recommended to navigate slippery routes to the park. There are no domestic flights to this park but Akagera Aviation helicopters are used by tourists from Kigali to the park and this takes around twenty minutes.
WHEN TO VISIT THE PARK?
Travelers get to survive the difficulties of driving over slippery roads when they come to visit the park during the dry season that spans from June to September and mid – December to .February.
