Akagera National Park in Rwanda is one of Africa's oldest protected savannah wildernesses and the country's only Big Five safari destination. Akagera is a spectacular protected area and its landscape is characterized by a rolling mosaic of grassland plains, acacia and brachystegia woodland, low mountains in the west, and a vast system of lakes, papyrus swamps and rivers in the east. In addition to the open savannah, Akagera also features patches of montane vegetation, dense thickets and riverine forest where a variety of its floral and faunal species survive.

Akagera National Park offers refuge to a diversity of globally threatened species including the eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli), the southern white rhinoceros, the African savannah elephant, and Rothschild's giraffe, all of which have been successfully reintroduced or restocked through the park's celebrated conservation programme.

Akagera is a spectacular park, located in north-eastern Rwanda along the country's international border with Tanzania. It is strategically lying in an area where visitors can enjoy excellent views of Lake Ihema, Lake Shakani and Lake Rwanyakazinga, and on a clear day, you can view the breathtaking rolling hills of the Eastern Province countryside stretching towards the Tanzanian border. Besides faunal and floral species, Akagera boasts of its extensive network of well-maintained game-viewing tracks that lead to scenic viewpoints, hippo-filled lakes and other beautiful tourist sites.

First gazetted in 1934, Akagera currently sits on a land area of about 1,122 sq. km, making it the largest protected wetland in Central Africa. Under a joint management partnership between the Rwanda Development Board and African Parks signed in 2010, the park has been transformed from the brink of collapse into a thriving conservation success story. It shelters all of Africa's Big Five mammals, more than 8,000 large mammals across nearly 50 species, and over 500 species of birds.

Faunal species in Akagera

Wildlife/Animals in Akagera National Park

A great diversity of large mammals freely roams the diverse habitats in Akagera National Park. These comprise African savannah elephants, eastern black rhinos, southern white rhinos, African lions, leopards, Cape buffaloes, Masai and Rothschild's giraffes, plains zebras, hippopotamuses, Nile crocodiles, spotted hyenas, side-striped jackals, serval cats, and African civets.

Akagera is especially celebrated for its antelope diversity, including the impala, topi, defassa waterbuck, bushbuck, common duiker, oribi, klipspringer, roan antelope, Cape eland (Africa's largest antelope), and the elusive sitatunga which hides in the papyrus swamps. Primates in the park include the olive baboon, vervet monkey, blue monkey, and the nocturnal bushbaby. Lions were successfully reintroduced in 2015 after a 20-year absence, eastern black rhinos returned in 2017, and 30 southern white rhinos were translocated from South Africa in 2021, followed by another 70 white rhinos in June 2025.

Birds

Over 500 species of birds survive in the diverse habitats of Akagera National Park including water birds, savannah species, forest species, and migratory species. The birds for you to expect to identify in Akagera National Park include the rare shoebill stork, African fish eagle, grey crowned crane, papyrus gonolek, African jacana, malachite kingfisher, pied kingfisher, hamerkop, saddle-billed stork, marabou stork, yellow-billed stork, and the great white pelican.

Akagera also protects birds such as the long-toed lapwing, African darter, white-backed vulture, lappet-faced vulture, bateleur eagle, long-crested eagle, helmeted guineafowl, crested francolin, lilac-breasted roller, grey-backed fiscal, sooty chat, brown-chested lapwing, Carruthers's cisticola, and the red-faced barbet which is a regional endemic of the Lake Victoria basin.

Additional birds to identify on bird-watching excursions in Akagera include the African open-billed stork, black-headed gonolek, Ross's turaco, white-browed coucal, blue-naped mousebird, double-toothed barbet, broad-billed roller, swamp flycatcher, and the white-winged swamp warbler, to mention but a few.

What to do in Akagera National Park

Game drives

Game driving is the headline activity Akagera is known to offer wildlife enthusiasts. Game drives in Akagera are conducted across the park's full length, from the southern Mutumba Gate through the central plains to the northern sector around the Mutumba Hills and Lake Rwanyakazinga. Over 8,000 large mammals roam the Akagera ecosystem and morning drives begin early, from 6:00 am, when predators and plains game are most active.

Akagera ranges from about 1,250 to 1,825 meters in altitude and the terrain in the northern plains is wide open and ideal for spotting lions, rhinos, elephants and buffalo herds. You can explore the park on a self-drive game drive in your own 4x4 (the park is one of the few in East Africa that allows this) or hire a park guide to accompany you. Park entry fees for international visitors are USD 100 per person per day, USD 50 for East African Community residents, and USD 16 for Rwandan and EAC citizens; children 6–12 years pay half, and children under 5 enter free. Self-drive day game viewing is included in the entry fee. Talk to your local safari operator to book your park entry and arrange a holiday.

Essentials to have on a game drive in Akagera include sturdy closed shoes, long-sleeved shirts, a daypack, a good camera with a zoom lens, a safari hat, insect repellent, a pair of binoculars, a light rain jacket, drinking water, and sunscreen.

Boat safaris on Lake Ihema

A boat safari on Lake Ihema, the second-largest lake in Rwanda, is one of the most memorable experiences in Akagera National Park. Scheduled cruises depart at 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 3:00 pm and 4:30 pm, and private cruises can be arranged outside these times. The boat brings you eye-level with one of Africa's highest densities of hippos, large pods of Nile crocodiles basking on the shoreline, and a profusion of water birds. Group boat trips cost USD 35 per person for international visitors (maximum 11 passengers per boat), with reduced rates for residents and children.

Bird watching

Akagera is a favorite bird-watching site in Rwanda due to its abundant bird species and the rare shoebill stork, which is one of the most sought-after birds on the African continent. On a birding tour, expect to explore the diversity of birds including the shoebill stork, papyrus gonolek, African fish eagle, grey crowned crane, red-faced barbet, lilac-breasted roller, malachite kingfisher, saddle-billed stork, white-winged swamp warbler, and great blue turaco around the riverine forests.

Night game drives

Akagera is one of the few parks in Rwanda where night game drives are offered, giving visitors the chance to spot nocturnal species rarely seen during the day. These include leopards, spotted hyenas, side-striped jackals, white-tailed mongooses, bushbabies, civets, genets and nightjars. Night drives last about 2 to 3 hours, depart after sunset, and are conducted by a park guide in a 4x4 with a spotlight, accommodating a maximum of 7 guests per vehicle.

Walking safaris and the Behind-the-Scenes tour

Akagera National Park features a small but excellent network of guided walking experiences. These lead visitors through scenic landscapes with a chance to spot a diversity of birds, antelopes and other species on foot. The walks are conducted with the presence of an experienced and armed park ranger guide.

Top walking experiences to undertake include the Behind-the-Scenes tour at park headquarters, where visitors meet the rangers, monitoring team and canine anti-poaching unit to learn about Akagera's celebrated conservation story. The Walk-the-Line activity follows the 120 km fence line that protects the park; the version offered to visitors is a roughly 7 km guided section that climbs into the hills outside the park and ends on a ridge with spectacular views all around, taking about 2 hours.

Additional activities to explore in Akagera include guided nature walks from Ruzizi Tented Lodge, sundowner drives to Lake Shakani, and the seasonal hot-air balloon safari which offers an unforgettable aerial view of the savannah, lakes and wildlife at sunrise.

Sport fishing

Sport fishing in Akagera is best done on the shores of Lake Shakani. The activity is conducted on a catch-and-release basis using your own equipment, and the lake is well stocked with tilapia and catfish. Anglers can spend a relaxing day fishing and then cook their catch over an open fire at the campsite. Sport fishing costs USD 25 per person per day for international visitors.

Community/cultural safaris

Cultural/community visits are perfect additions to game drives or birding expeditions in Akagera National Park. This is the best way to have a close interaction with locals, exploring their practices, traditions, cultures and a lot more. Community freelance guides share experiences such as visits to a dairy farm to learn about traditions around cattle and milk in Rwanda's Eastern Province, a banana-beer maker, or a local honey cooperative whose hives are placed along the park's fence line.

The best time to go to tour Akagera

Akagera is best to visit during the long dry season, from June to September, and the short dry season from December to February. These months experience little rainfall, the vegetation is thinner offering clearer views of wildlife, the game-viewing tracks are dry and passable, and animals concentrate around the lakes and remaining water sources. That said, Akagera enjoys an extremely pleasant climate year-round with warm days and cool nights, so the park can also be visited in the wetter months of March to May and October to November, which are particularly rewarding for birding as migratory species are present and the landscape is lush and green.

Where to stay on an Akagera National Park holiday

Places to consider for your overnight stay include Wilderness Magashi Camp and Magashi Peninsula, Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Mantis Akagera Game Lodge, Karenge Bush Camp, Akagera Rhino Lodge, and the four park campsites at Muyumbu, Shakani, Mutumba and Mihindi. Outside the park, options include Dereva Hotel in Kayonza, Akagera Resort and Country Club, and Vintage Cottages in Rwamagana. On an actual holiday, you have a chance to spend a night in quality budget, midrange, and luxury accommodation, with options ranging from basic campsites for self-sufficient travellers to all-inclusive luxury tented camps overlooking Lake Rwanyakazinga in the wildlife-rich north.

Getting to Akagera

Kigali to Akagera covers a distance of about 110 km to the southern Mutumba Gate and depending on the stopovers en route, the entire journey can take about 2 hours and 30 minutes to 3 hours by road, passing through the town of Rwamagana. The road is tarmacked all the way to the gate, although a 4x4 is recommended for use inside the park, especially in the wet season. The other available option is taking a scheduled or charter helicopter flight using Akagera Aviation services from Kigali to the park, a journey of just over 20 minutes. The park is open daily from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, and self-drive access is through the southern Mutumba Gate only; the northern gate is used for exit only.