Akagera National Park
Rwanda's only savanna national park. With lions and rhinos reintroduced, it has all of the Big Five once again, and boat trips on the lakes offer close views of hippos and crocodiles.
Akagera National Park lies in eastern Rwanda, across the Kagera River from Tanzania. It covers about 1,120 square kilometers and is Rwanda's only savanna-type national park. The east is a chain of lakes and wetlands along the Kagera River valley, while the west and north are hills and open grassland. After 1994, large areas were cleared to resettle refugees, and wildlife numbers plummeted. Since 2010, the park has been co-managed by African Parks and the Rwanda Development Board. Lions and rhinos have been reintroduced, and the Big Five can now be seen.
Main areas: (1) South: the South Gate visitor center, boat trips on Lake Ihema, and Lake Shakani, with dense woodland. (2) Central: Lake Hago, Lake Mihindi, and the viewpoint on Mutumba Hills. (3) North: the Kiraro Plains and Lake Rwanyakazinga, the core area for seeing giraffes, zebras, elephants, and lions.
Seasons: The dry seasons, June–September and December–February, concentrate animals around water and have better roads. March–May and October–November are the rainy seasons, when vegetation is lush and northern dirt roads may be muddy.
Getting there: From Kigali it takes about 2.5 hours by car to the South Gate. A day trip is possible, but 1–2 nights is recommended. Spend one day on south-side boat trips and a night drive, then one day on a game drive across the northern plains, leaving through the North Gate. Four-wheel-drive vehicles are required inside the park. You can drive yourself, hire a park guide to ride along, or join a safari tour departing from Kigali. Entry is charged per day (about US$100 per person for foreign visitors; check the official website for current rates). Boat trips, night game drives, and guides cost extra. Accommodation inside the park includes lakeside camps, eco-lodges, and campsites. Book early in peak season.
Top sights
- Lake Ihema Boat Safari – A boat trip on Lake Ihema, the park's largest lake, to see hippos, Nile crocodiles and waterbirds such as African fish eagles and shoebills…
- Northern Plains (Kilala Plain) – The open savanna in the north of the park, the core area for giraffes, zebras, buffalo, elephants and lions. It is the highlight of a Big F…
- Night Game Drive – An open-vehicle night drive with a park guide, scanning with spotlights for leopards, hyenas, servals, bushbabies and other nocturnal anima…
- Lake Rwanyakazinga – The largest lake in the north of the park, where elephants, buffalo and hippos gather on the shore and wetlands. The luxury Magashi camp is…
- Mutumba Hills – Rolling hills in the central park. From the heights you can see the lakes and grasslands below, and a scenic camp here is ideal for watchin…
- Lake Shakani – A small lake north of Lake Ihema that has a picnic area and campsite. It is the only place in the park where you can try sport fishing.
- Lake Mihindi – A lake in the central-north of the park, where hippos and crocodiles bask on the shore. There are picnic areas nearby, making it a good spo…
- Lake Hago – A large lake in the central park. Along the east shore road you can see wetlands, waterbirds and hippos, making it the scenic middle sectio…
Where to eat
- SALT of Akagera · The Good Kitchen Restaurant & Bakery – The main restaurant of a lodge on a hill overlooking Lake Ihema, just inside the park's southern gate, serving Rwandan…
- Akagera Rhino Lodge Restaurant – A budget-friendly lodge restaurant on Nyagakonji Hill outside the park's southern gate, with views over Lake Ihema, wel…