Book a tour to Akagera national park

Book a tour to Akagera national park- Despite being the smallest country in East Africa, Rwanda also known as a home of a thousand hills is blessed with so many natural attractions and wildlife which has attracted so many people from different parts of the world to fly and visit Rwanda. The wildlife animals most especially the mammals can be exhibited in Akagera national park which is located in the Northeastern part of the country.

Exploring Akagera national park  for a tour is one of the activities people should include on their safari to Rwanda. Like earlier said, the national park is found in the northeastern part of Rwanda near the newly Gishwati-Makura national park on the borders of Rwanda and Tanzania. The national park hosts over 7 lakes and these get waters from River Akagera which passes through the park.

To book a tour to Akagera national park you will need to pay an entrance fee based on the category you fall in let’s say, East African residents, foreign residents, or foreign non-residents. There are so many things you can be park of inside Akagera national park during a safari tour;

Game viewing

Being the only national park where game viewing activities are done in Rwanda, Akagera national park gets thousands of tourists from different parts of the world who come to spot the wildlife in the park. The game viewing activities in Akagera national park do expose you to several animal species that are always rooming in the savannah vegetation looking for what to eat.

Game viewing activities in Akagera national park are done in 2 or 3 sessions i.e morning, evening, and night game drives to see nocturnal animals. The morning game drives have been proved to be the best for one to explore Akagera national park since they meet some of the nocturnal animals before going back to the hiding places and even those morning risers.

Both day game drives and night game drives expose you to different park animals such as lions, impalas, cape elands, giraffes, warthogs, duikers, elephants, buffaloes, topis, zebras, waterbucks, roan antelopes, reedbucks, bushbucks, and rhinos to mention but a few. The game drives are better enjoyed in comfortable safari vehicles with a pop-up.

Bird watching

With over 480 birds of which 100 are endemic to the region, Akagera national park is one of the places you need to visit to spot different bird species. Bird-watching activities in Akagera national park can be done on a nature walk with the birder guides or on a boat cruise on Lake Ihema to see waterbird species.

Just get a pair of binoculars and a birding book on a day of birding to encounter birds such as shoebill stork, pied kingfishers, osprey, yellow-bellied waxbill, white-breasted cormorants, eastern grey plantain-eater, common squacco heron, African darter, Blue-cheeked bee-eater, African wattled lapwing, Amur falcon, brown-chested lapwing, familiar chat, booted eagle, booted eagle, crested barbet, sooty falcon, papyrus gonolek, stripped pipit, tabora cisticola, western reef heron, red-winged francolin, and short-tailed pipit among others.

Boat trips

The boat trips in Akagera national park are one of the activities you don’t have to miss while on a safari in Akagera national park. the boat trips are done in the morning and evening hours and the experience is always the same as you get to explore different water animals, birds, and other park animals on the shores of Lake Ihema.

Lake Ihema boat cruise takes you around the lake islands spotting large numbers of hippos and crocodiles, spotting different bird species like the shoebill stork, papyrus gonolek, African jacana, African harrier hawk, white-tailed blue monard, flycatchers, and sunbirds to mention but a few. The boat trips also give you an opportunity to spot some of the park animals like the antelopes, zebras, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes on the shores of the lake grazing, bathing, or taking water.

Nature walks

Nature walks in Akagera national park allow you to walk with the range guide in a well-protected area and it will help you enjoy getting closer to the nature of the park, learn about different plant species, animals, shrubs, insects, and birds among others. Akagera national park has so many walking trails and when the time comes you will be escorted by the armed ranger guide to explore the park beyond the game drives.

What is the best time to book a tour to Akagera national park Rwanda?

Tourists from different places of the world can explore Akagera national park at any time of the year but there are times which are better than the rest and these are the drier months. The dry months do happen in June to September and December to February and they are characterized by little or no rainfall which leaves t5he game trucks dry, the roads to the park passable and the vegetation is ever short giving clear views of the park animals.

Tourists can still explore Akagera national park in the rainy season which occurs from October to November and March to May to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities but they need to know that during this season, there is plenty of rainfall, the game trucks are muddy and slippery, and the vegetation is tall giving unclear views of the park animals.

Accommodation on a safari to Akagera national park

There are so many accommodation facilities where tourists can stay before or after exploring Akagera national park. They do range from budget to mid-range to luxury options and they are spread in and outside the park-like Akagera national park include Magashi Safari Camp, Karenge Bush Camp, Akarenge Game Lodge, Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Akagera Rhino Lodge, Vintage Cottage, Nyagasambu Realm Beach Hotel, Akagera Resort and Country Club among others.