Akagera National Park
Location and Details
Akagera National Park is located in the north east of Rwanda along the border with Tanzania. Although founded in 1934, much of the park was re-allocated as farms and in 1997 the park was reduced in size from more than 2,500 sq km (nearly 10% of the surface area of Rwanda) to its current extent of 1,122 sq km. Since 2010, a joint venture with African Parks has seen Akagera return to its former glories.
It is named after the Akagera River that flows along its eastern boundary and feeds into a labyrinth of lakes of which the largest is Lake Ihema. The forest fringed lakes, papyrus swamps, savannah plains and rolling highlands combine to make Akagera amongst the most scenic of reserves anywhere in Africa. It has exceptional levels of biodiversity and forms the largest protected wetland in central Africa.
it is home to many large plains game species as well as species restricted to the papyrus swamps such as the Sitatunga and the sought-after Shoebill Stork. Notable plains game include elephant, buffalo, topi, zebra, waterbuck, roan antelope and eland. Other antelope are duiker, oribi, bohor reedbuck, klipspringer, bushbuck and impala. Of the primates, olive baboons, vervets and the secretive blue monkey are seen during the day, with bushbabies often seen on night drives.
Of the larger predators leopard, hyena, side-striped jackal and lion, which was re-introduced last year are present. Plans are underway for the reintroduction of the black rhino too, and this will restore Akagera’s ‘Big 5’ status
Due to its wide variety of habitats, Akagera is an important ornithological site with nearly 500 bird species. The rare and elusive shoebill shares the papyrus with other rarities such as the exquisite papyrus gonolek and countless other water birds that inhabit the wetlands in large numbers.
If you are looking for a variation on the usual safari experience, a boat trip on Lake Ihema will not disappoint. Drift along the forest-fringed lake edge, past huddles of hippo and basking crocodiles. For the serious birder a boat trip is a must. Trips are scheduled 4 times per day at 7.30am, 9am, 3.30pm and 5pm. Non-scheduled, private, trips can also be arranged at other times.
Lake Shakani is the site of sports fishing in the park; spend a relaxing day fishing off the lake shore and then cook your catch over an open fire at the campsite.
Birding safaris are popular amongst regular visitors and the immense variety and abundance of species will not fail to impress. From the vast concentrations of waterfowl to the myriad of savanna species, there is never a dull moment, with more than 500 species recorded in Akagera. Serious birders can seek out several endemic species as well as rare gems such as the near threatened papyrus gonolek (Laniarius mufumbiri), which is restricted to papyrus swamps, the localised red-faced barbet (Lybius bidentatus) and the sought after swamp flycatcher (Muscicapa boehmi).
For more insight into Akagera, including conservation developments within the park, take a ‘Behind-the- Scenes’ tour of the park headquarters and meet some of the people integral to the management of the park. This activity is open to anyone (with minimum numbers applying) but designed for educational groups, or special interest travellers.
Entry fees for the park are USD $35 per person per day for international visitors and USD $25 per person per day for EAC residents. There is a charge of USD $7.50 per car. Children under the age of 12 are given a discounted price for entry fees and children under the age of 5 are admitted in free and also free of activities fee. Children over the age of 5 are charged the normal rates for activities.
If you would like to do a self-drive safaris, there is no need to book in advance. Cars are available for hire, all which includes the vehicle, driver and guide. The costs for the car hire are: US$175 for a Half Day (5 hrs) and US$275 for a Full Day.
Guides are available for hire from the reception and can join visitors on their self-drives. These guides are on a first come, first serve basis. Booking in advance is not necessary, unless it is for special groups such as school trips. Park-employed guides come at a rate of US$25 for a half day and US$40 for a full day. Community freelance guides are US$20 for a half day and US$30 for a full day.
Maps for the self-drives are available at the reception upon arrival for 1,000 Rwf and guidebooks for 2,500 Rwf. An information Center to assist with activities is also available and can advise clients on which routes will be best for them. Tourists are recommended to spend a full day in Akagera to be able to see the best of the park.
Other activity fees:
Night Game Drive (per person, 2.5 hrs): US$40
Fishing (per person per day, own equipment): US$20
Boat Trip (per person, morning or day, 1 hour): US$30
Boat Trip (per person, sunset, 1 hour): US$40
Behind the Scenes TOur (per person, 1.5 hours): US$20
Transportation
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You could probably hitch your way to the entrance of the park. Or take a bus to Kayonza District before hopping on a moto for a crazy, dusty ride… but it wouldn’t make much sense since you’ll need a vehicle once you actually get to the park. A game drive on a moto, while it would be an interesting experience and a hell of a story, probably isn’t the best of ideas and isn’t allowed anyway. But if making your own way to the park is how you choose to roll, Akagera has safari cars ready for you to hire on arrival for $175 for a half day and $275 for a full day which probably only makes sense if you have close to the maximum 7 passengers allowed.
Or you could be a bit more ‘normal’ and hire a vehicle in Kigali for the trip. You can drive yourself through the park (if you want to pick up a guide at the information centre to lead you around and spot for animals make sure to leave space for him) or you can hire a driver in Kigali to arrange the entire trip and to act as a guide. Cars for self-drive can often be hired for as little as $50 per day and, while any type of car should be able to make its way through a dry park, a 4×4 is recommended.
If you’d prefer to leave the driving to a professional, hiring a car and a driver is also a possibility. I would recommend contacting Janvier at A Step Into Nature Tours as he has a lot of experience running trips to the park and is an all around nice guy and speaks English, French, Kinyarwanda, and even a bit of German. Prices vary depending on the type of car you want (he has five and seven person safari cars with popup roofs available as well as regular 4x4s without an open roof) so contact him at info@astepintonature.com or 0788 838 109 to get the rundown. There are lots of tour operators in Kigali and everyone has their ‘guy’ but I’d recommend Janvier.
A Step Into Nature Tours also runs fairly regular shared trips to the park for around $100 per person. This is the sort of trip that exists in most countries with a developed tourist industry where you pay your fee and share the trip with some strangers/new friends and Janvier is the only company doing this sort of thing regularly. The costs is the same regardless of how full the car is and it’s a really great way to see the park on a day trip with zero hassles. Check the A Step Into Nature Tours Facebook page occasionally as he posts about upcoming trips there.
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