GAME DRIVES IN AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK

Despite of Rwanda’s small size, it is blessed with three national parks protecting distinct ecosystems and variety of species. These parks include Akagera national park, Volcanoes national park and Nyungwe forest national park all offering stunning wildlife safaris in Rwanda.

Just at the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda border, there sits one of the oldest parks in East Africa; Volcanoes national park which is part of the larger chain of Virunga mountains, sheltering almost a quarter of the world’s remaining total population of mountain gorillas. This has made it one of the best destinations for gorilla trekking in Africa.

The south western based Nyungwe forest national park is perched near the Congo and Burundian border and hosts the largest number of chimpanzees plus other primate species. If you are anywhere in or around Rwanda, and you are a primate lover, this park is a must do for chimp trekkers as well as the adventurous canopy walk.

Akagera national park; the park with the best game drive experiences in Rwanda. It is located in the north east of the country along the Tanzanian border stretching to a total land area of 1,122 square kilometers.

Akagera national park was named after the Akagera River that makes one way across the park pouring its water into Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second largest lake.

The striking rolling hills dotted with acacia woodland and patches of grassland traversed with a chain of lakes and swamps all sum up into an eye catching scenery that is not seen anywhere else in Africa.

In spite of the small size of the park, Akagera has a varied wildlife base and within a few minutes, giraffes, Impalas, Topis, Zebras, bush bucks, African swallows, eland, vervet monkeys, warthogs, baboons, Mongoose, buffaloes, oribi, hippos, crocodiles, elephants and other mammals are spotted.

Safari game drive is a major activity in the park. Organized safaris with a driver and guide are always available at affordable prices, East African Community or Rwandan registered cars are charged 7 USD and 25 USD for the foreign cars to undertake game drives in Akagera national park.

Visitors can also have self-driven game drives in Akagera national park. This is the best experience ever, having to drive through the wilderness with freedom and at your own convenience. However most travelers have hired guides to go along with them at only 25 USD for a half day and 40 USD for a full day game drive. Note that you can also have a night game drive in Akagera national park to spot the nocturnal and predators that wait to pounce on their prey during night hunts.

Akagera national park management has two-tier guiding system with 10 park-employed guides and 15 community freelance guides. Visitors may choose to take a park-employed guide with guiding experience ranging from 2 to 12 years in the park, or choose one of the enthusiastic community Freelance Guides who have completed an in-house training about interpretive tour guiding. Both the guides are dedicated and provide authentic experiences of the park.

All safari game drives in Akagera national park are simply amazing, but the most remarkable one is the route from the south to the north, which avails tremendous opportunities to spot numerous animals in their natural dwellings, all which create typical adventure experiences and also the most beautiful views from top of the mountain across Lake Ihema towards Tanzania.

With the re-introduction of lions and Rhinos, Akagera is once again a big five destination. This national park will not disappoint you when it comes to safari drives.

A safari in Akagera national park can also expose you to birding experiences, launch cruise and spot fishing opportunities plus nature walks as the park currently doesn’t have many deadly predators. If you have not yet done a safari here, it’s high time you booked a wildlife safari in Rwanda for ultimate experiences.