1 Day Akagera National Park Safari
Our guide/driver will pick you up at your hotel or place of home in Kigali for the two-hour journey to the park for this one-day safari in Akagera National Park. You will immediately depart for the morning game drive with a park guide after registering at the park. Hours or so are needed for the game drive. Expect to see buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, elephants, lions, rhinos, and leopards (if you’re lucky) during this time. After enjoying a meal in the park, you will proceed to Lake Ihema for an afternoon boat ride. Check out our 3-day Rwanda safari if you’re looking for a longer excursion.
Safari Highlights: 1 Day Akagera National Park Safari
– Game drive in Akagera National Park
– Boat cruise on Lake Ihema
– Spot a variety of wildlife, including elephants, giraffes, zebras, and lions
– Explore the park’s diverse landscapes, including savannah, woodlands, and wetlands
Day 1: Pickup from Kigali and transfer to Akagera National Park – Game Drive – Afternoon boat ride – Transfer back to Kigali.
1 Day Akagera National Park Safari, takes two and a half hours to go from Kigali to Akagera, with the trip beginning at five in the morning. After eating breakfast, our driver will pick you up at your hotel or another designated spot. Before you embark on your drive through the breathtaking Rwandan countryside, you will receive a briefing. 9 a.m. is the arrival time.
You will register when you arrive at the park, and a park guide who knows the area and the finest spots to see wildlife will accompany you. In search of zebras, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, lions, black-tailed mongoose, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, colobus monkeys, and bush babies (evening), this game drive will take you across expansive Savannah grasslands, woods, and lake coastlines. You should plan on playing the game for roughly four hours.
You can either go to Akagera Game Lodge, where most tourists eat lunch, or have a picnic.
The border between Tanzania and Rwanda is partially delineated by the eastern coastlines. As previously mentioned, Lake Ihema is home to crocodiles, hippopotamuses, and a variety of bird species, such as hawks, herons, plovers, sandpipers, and lbis. About two hours are spent on the boat ride.
When the boat excursion is over, it’s time to head back to Kigali. You will arrive in the capital late at night.
The safari includes
A game drive
Boat cruise at Lake Ihema
Park entrance
Transportation in an air-conditioned 4X4 vehicle with a pop-up roof
An English or French Speaking Guide if required
Lunch and bottled drinking water throughout the safari
Park entrance fees
All activities mentioned in the itinerary
Pickup and drop-off in Kigali
Government taxes
The Safari Excludes
Air tickets and Visa
Tips for the Guides
Alcoholic drinks and cigarettes
Medical Insurance
Accommodation the night before the safari and after the tour
For the best experiences while on safari in Akagera bring along the following:
A hat to protect yourself from the sun’s rays.
Sunscreen to protect yourself from the Afternoon heat during the dry season.
A binocular to help you spot birds and animals that are far away from the established park roads.
Short sleeved shirt ad blouse especially during the dry season.
A warm sweater during the rainy season.
A rain jacket especially during the rainy season.
A camera to capture all the beautiful moments and amazing scenery.
Hiking boots in case you are to get out of the car for a walk inside the park.
Money for tipping, unplanned expenses or buying souvenirs.
About Akagera National Park
The district of Kayonza, which is near the Tanzanian border in Rwanda’s eastern region, is home to Akagera National Park. The park, which spans 1,075 square km, is named after the Akagera River. When visiting Rwanda’s capital for a business or conference, the park offers a quick chance to see Africa’s big five mammals. It is located close to the city, Kigali.
Lakes, rivers, wooded areas, and expansive savanna plains make up Akagera National Park. There used to be a lot of wildlife in the park. It actually had one of the highest concentrations of wild dogs in Africa, but the Belgian colonists poisoned the dogs because they were considered pests. Later on, problems with wildlife resulted from enormous human expansion. The civil war in 1994 exacerbated the problem. The park served as an escape route for many residents. Many of them settled in the park upon their return following the genocide. In addition to lions being poisoned and exterminated, park animals were killed down at will.
As part of broader reforms in the nation, Rwanda’s new government was committed to restoring the park. African Parks was selected to oversee park management, modernise infrastructure, and spearhead conservation initiatives. A portion of the park’s land was reclaimed, and the majority of the area is now gated off. Lions, rhinos, and other extinct animals have even been brought back into the park by the government. Among many other mammals, it is now possible to see elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras, kobs, waterbucks, and bushbucks. To enable those who live close to the park to profit from tourism, the government has also promoted community tourism.
The distinctive landscape is one of the best things about an Akagera safari. Even without taking into account the mammals, you will undoubtedly enjoy your safari if you are a nature and bird lover. Particularly a few weeks following the rainy season, the lovely hills, water features, woods, woodlands, marshes, and plains can appear very stunning.