Game viewing in Akagera national park
Game viewing in Akagera national park is of the activities that give you an opportunity to explore almost all the wild animals of the park. Akagera national park is a savannah park in the northeastern side of Rwanda famous for hosting almost all the wild animals in the country. The national park covers a total area of 1,112 sq. km. with over 7 small lakes of which Lake Ihema is the largest of all.
Akagera national park is home to over 8000 large mammals, the park also hosts all the 5 big mammals – lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, and rhinos. Other wild animals in Akagera national park include the impalas, topis, sitatungas, zebras, reedbucks, monkeys, giraffes, cape elands, and much more. The game drive safaris in this park do help you to spot most of these animals in their natural habitats.
Akagera national park is also home to over 400 bird species that have been so far recorded in the park and if you are a bird lover you will spot some of these even when doing game drives. The game drives in Akagera national park are done on the northern side of the park where most of the animals concentrate. Doing a game drive in Akagera national park is the best way to spot all the African animals in good safari vehicles that have pop-ups to enable tourists to see through.
Morning and evening game drives in Akagera national park
The morning game drive in Akagera national park is done at 7 am to enable tourists to spot some of the early morning risers and the evening game drives start after lunch in the same park. The game drives are done in good safari vehicles with a help of well-trained armed rangers who take you through the best game trucks as you spot different park animals.
During the morning or evening game drives you will spot a number of wild animals that have found their home in Akagera national park and these include the lions, impalas, buffaloes, rhinos, sitatungas, elephants, duikers, zebras, spotted hyenas, cape elands, elephants, reedbucks, monkeys, topis, warthogs, roan antelopes, klipspringers, leopards, and so many others.
The game drives near the lakes will expose you to crocodiles, and hippos at the shores of the lakes. During the game drives in Akagera national park, you will also spot some of the birds of the park and these include little bee-eater, lesser striped swallow, black-headed weaver, ross’s turaco, long created eagle, cardinal woodpecker, lilac-breasted roller, crowned lapwing, and grey crowned cranes among others.
Night game drives in Akagera national park
The night game drives in Akagera national park give tourists an opportunity to see park animals that be resting at night as well as those that are always active during the night hours. The night game drives in Akagera national park do start at 5:30 pm and they end at 8:30 pm or even more. The night game drives are led by the armed ranger guides of the park to protect you from dangerous wild animals.
During the night game drives, you are advised to carry the spotlight torches that will help you on locating the nocturnal animals. The night game drives also enable tourists to spot animals they might have missed out on during the day. During this activity, you will be able to spot animals such as lions, spotted hyenas, hippos, bushbucks, several cats, and leopards to mention but a few. To carry out the night game drive, you will pay $40 per person and this includes the ranger guide fee.
Game viewing on a boat cruise in Akagera national park
Tourists on a game viewing safari to Akagera national park can have a boat cruise and see some of the park animals. The boat cruises in Akagera national parka are done around Lake Ihema which is the second largest lake in the country. The activity gives you an opportunity to spot most of the park animals on the shores of the lake trying to graze on the fresh vegetation, bathe, or drink water when it’s in the dry season. The aquatic animals to watch out for in Lake Ihema are the crocodiles and hippos, but while on a boat you will see other animals like lions, buffaloes, antelopes, giraffes, zebras, kobs, rhinos, and much more.
What is the best time to have game viewing activities in Akagera national park?
Akagera national park is open at any time of the year for game viewing activities but the best time is the dry seasons. The dry seasons in Akagera national park happen from June to September and December to February and are characterized by little or no rainfall and this leaves the game trucks dry, the vegetation is very short giving clear views of the park animals, and the roads leading to the park are passable.
Tourists most especially the budget travelers can also visit Akagera national park in the rainy season which happens from March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. The rainy season is characterized by too much rainfall and this makes the game trucks muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall giving clear views of some of the park animals and lastly, the roads leading to the park are impassable.
Where to stay on game viewing safaris in Akagera national park?
There are so many accommodation places where tourists can stay while on a game viewing safari in Akagera national park. Lodges in Akagera national park are categorized as budget, mid-range, and luxury options and some of them include Magashi Safari Camp, Karenge Bush Camp, Magashi Tented Camp, Akarenge Game Lodge, Akagera Resort and Country Club, Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Akagera Rhino Lodge, Vintage Cottage, and Nyagasambu Realm Beach Hotel among others.
