Day Tours in Akagera National Park

Day Tours in Akagera National Park

Everything you need to know about day tours in Akagera National Park. Talking about Akagera National Park, one thing that should be in mind is Savannah’s greatness. This is because, in the entire country of a thousand hills, Akagera National Park stands out in pride as the only savannah park. Akagera National Park is located in eastern Rwanda on the border with Tanzania and spans about 1,200 square kilometers. It was named after the Kagera River which flows along its eastern boundary feeding into Lake Ihema and several other smaller Lakes. At an elevation of about 11,200-1,800 meters above sea level, Akagera National Park was first established as a forest reserve. In 1934, the then-Belgian colonial government elevated the forest reserve to a national park status.

Day tours in Akagera National Park not only give you uninterrupted views of the beautiful scenic landscapes of the park but also ease visibility. Akagera National Park is immense and takes days to exhaust its hidden treasures. Being the only savannah park in the country it is a highly anticipated destination and many from overseas and within flock to its premises for a taste of its greatness. The park harbors some of Africa’s highly sought-after species and hence day tours in the park facilitate these explorations.

What to see in Akagera National Park?

Embarking on day tours in Akagera National Park for an exciting time in the savannah where you will meet incredible species and interact with nature.

Wildlife

Akagera National Park harbors over 1000 mammal species given its huge size of 1,200 square kilometers. The park is popular for hosting Africa’s Big 5 animals including lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, and rhinos. These are accompanied by other wildlife species like giraffes, zebra, hippos, antelopes, warthogs, waterbucks, hyenas, reedbucks, and others.

Primates

History has it that Akagera National Park was once gazette as a forest reserve because of the various tropical trees scattered across the park. These tropical rainforest trees make the park a savannah woodland park. This is why the park hosts a reasonably large number of primates that can be spotted in the trees. These primates include vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, silver monkeys, and olive baboons to mention but a few.

Birdlife

The sheer size of the park and the different ecological systems make Akagera National Park a popular bird habitat. The park harbors the common endemic birds which are the usual residents of the park and also the guest migratory birds that fly in during different seasons. The vibrant destination of Akagera attracts and shelters over 480 bird species and these include about 100 bird species that cannot be found elsewhere in Rwanda. Some of the bird species in the park include African jacana, crowned lapwing, gray heron, gray heron, short-tailed pipit, booted eagle, western reef heron, red-faced barbet, marsh owl, blue-shouldered robin chat, Squacco heron, crested barbet, African darter, white-winged swamp warbler, African fish eagle, striped pipit, booted eagle, ring-necked francolin, northern puff back, greater painted snipe, giant kingfisher, pallid harrier, to mention but a few.                             

Lakes

Lakes make up a huge percentage of Akagera National Park’s drainage and thrive. The park has over 10 lakes including Lake Ihema, Lake Shakani, Lake Mihindi, Lake Kivumba, Lake Hago, Lake Rwanyakizinga, Lake Gishanju, and Lake Murambya to mention but a few. These lakes have attracted many visitors to engage in activities like fishing and boat cruises.

What to do in Akagera National Park?

With the variety of attractions in Akagera National Park, there are plenty of activities to engage in as you explore the attractions. Though it is the only savannah park in the country, it has a lot arranged for tourists to have jaw-dropping experiences as unveiled below.

Game drives

Game drives are a great deal for visitors who wish to explore the whole park. Typical game drives at Akagera National Park usually follow carefully through the park’s landscapes. They are led by experienced and knowledgeable guides. The game drives are usually conducted in the early morning or late afternoon on 4×4 safari vehicles, during which wildlife activity in the park is at its peak.

Guided nature walks

Guided nature walks are also a major activity in the park. Visitors on guided nature walks get a chance to explore the park on foot. Guided nature walks are the best for visitors to enjoy the beautiful sceneries of the park and the cool clean breezes. The nature walks take about 2-3 hours with the help of an armed professional and experienced ranger who leads the visitors on this walk.

Birding

With over 480 bird species in the park, Akagera National Park is an important area for birding in Rwanda. There are designated birding trails in the park that let the visitors explore all the birding sites in the park.

Boat cruise

Lake Ihema located in the southern region of Akagera National Park is a great destination for boat cruises. This lake is the biggest lake among all the 10 lakes in the park. Boat cruise of Lake Ihema takes visitors on an experience like no other. They get to explore the aquatic life of the park. Visitors will encounter animals like hippos and crocodiles and other animals like elephants, buffaloes, and waterbucks that usually frequent the lake for a sip.

Sport fishing

This experience involves catching and releasing the fish back into the water. After the sport one is allowed to take one and experience its taste. Sport fishing gives visitors a chance to learn about the different fish species in the park. Methods used for this activity include gill net, spearing, shoot arrow, scoop net, cast net, hooks, and many more. Sport fishing in Akagera National Park is done at Lake Shakani which harbors a variety of species like tilapia, catfish, Nile perch, and many more.

When to visit Akagera National Park?

Akagera National Park is open for visitation all year round. The park receives two seasons of wet and dry every year. Depending on what your interest is in the park, the dry is usually the best period and time to visit Akagera National Park. This is because the park is dry hence enabling navigation and locating the wildlife is very easy. However, for bird lovers the wet season presents are favorable time since it’s the breeding season. The dry season runs from June to September and December to February. The wet season is experienced from March to May and October to November.