Top-selling tourism activities in Akagera national park
Are you looking for the top-selling tourism activities in Akagera national park? Rwanda is a small country blessed with many tourism attractions among which include Akagera national park that tourists from different places of the world come and visit to explore the different attractions within these places. There are so many attractions in Rwanda and Akagera national park has got some of them like boat cruises on Lake Ihema, game viewing, birding activities, community visits, sport fishing, and much more.
Akagera national park is famous for being the only savannah park in Rwanda where game drives are done and it’s located in the northeastern part of the country protecting over 100 large mammals include the big 5 of Africa – lions, buffaloes, leopards, rhinos, and elephants. Akagera national park can be accessed in one day from Kigali and visiting the park is done throughout the year although the dry months are the best for visits to the park.
Top-selling tourism activities in Akagera national park Rwanda
Game viewing
Most of the tourists who visit Akagera national park take part in game drive activities reason being the park is the only savannah park where game drives are done in the area. Akagera national park is home to a large number of wildlife animals that can only be seen during the game drive activities in the park. the game drives in Akagera national park are done in the morning hours, evening, or night hours to see nocturnal animals.
During the morning and evening game drive, you will be able to see a number of different wildlife animals grazing or resting in the park such as rhinos, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, lions, leopards, kobs, impalas, topis, gazelles, waterbucks, cape elands, and roan antelopes t mention but a few.
If you are a bird lover, there are several bird species still that you will see during the game drives such as the grey crowned crane, shoebill stock, common squacco heron, papyrus Gonolek, giant kingfisher, Great egret, palm-nut vulture, Senegal lapwings, familiar chat, African wattled plover, woodland kingfisher, and osprey among others bird species.
Boat cruise
The boat cruise is another most selling activity done in Akagera national park and this is done either in the morning or evening on Lake Ihema which is the biggest in the park. Whether you do the boat cruise in the morning or evening the experience is always the same but the morning boat cruise can get you chances of spotting nocturnal animals getting back to their hide-out places.
The boat cruise on Lake Ihema will expose you to a huge population of crocodiles and hippos taking dips in the water. You will see different bird species on the shores of the lake such as African jacana, herons, ibis, plovers, malachite kingfisher, papyrus gonolek, shoebill, herons, and much more. You will also get an opportunity to spot different park animals drinking water or bathing on the lakeshore of the lake such as elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, giraffes, zebras, and much more.
Birding
Akagera national park is with no doubt among the best birding spots in Rwanda and among the most visited tourist destinations in the country. Bird lovers who want to visit Rwanda shouldn’t miss out on taking a visit to Akagera national park with 480 bird species recorded in the park among which 100 are endemic to the area.
The park is home to different water birds, permanent birds, and migratory bird species that are always seen on a birding safari in Akagera national park. Some of the birding species that can be seen on a birding safari in Akagera national park include shoebill stork, yellow-bellied waxbill, white-breasted cormorants, pied kingfishers, osprey, eastern grey plantain-eater, African darter, Blue-cheeked bee-eater, common squacco heron, African wattled lapwing, familiar chat, booted eagle, Amur falcon, brown-chested lapwing, booted eagle, crested barbet, papyrus gonolek, red-winged francolin, sooty falcon, stripped pipit, tabora cisticola, western reef heron, and short-tailed pipit among others.
The Best time to visit Akagera national park
Akagera national park can be visited at any time of the year but there are days that are better than the rest and these are the ones in the dry months. The dry months do happen in December to February and June to September and they are characterized by little and sometimes no rainfall, the game trucks are dry, the vegetation is short giving clear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are passable.
The months of March to May and October to November mark the rainy season in Akagera national park and it’s during these months that the rainfall is too much which makes the roads leading to the park and the game trucks muddy. The visitors traveling to Akagera national park in the rainy season only get huge discounts on accommodation facilities but should travel in good comfortable safari cars to ease movement in the park.
Places to stay while on a visit in Akagera national park
Tourists intending to visit Akagera national park for any of the above activities need to know that there are so many accommodation options in this park that do range from budget to mid-range to luxury options but where to stay depends on your budget. Some of the accommodation options in Akagera national park include Magashi Safari Camp, Karenge Bush Camp, Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Akarenge Game Lodge, Akagera Resort and Country Club, Vintage Cottage, Akagera Rhino Lodge, and Nyagasambu Realm Beach Hotel among others.