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The next day we did the south of the park and on the last day the north and exited from the north gate. |
We did not see lion and rhinos but the rest were in plenty specially the elephants. |
The fauna and flora and the plains are amazing. |
A place not to be missed when in Rwanda |
We spent 2 nights in the park at the Akagera Lodge. |
We went for an afternoon drive for a few hours, then a 9 hour drive the next day, and a morning boat drive the third day. |
This isn't the same type of safari as going to South Africa or Botswana, but solid in its own right. |
The landscape is spectacular and it was so interesting to see the animals in this type of setting. |
The rolling hills in the mud make for a fun drive, but also spectacular views. |
We didn't see all of the big five, but the drives weren't about that. |
There was certainly no shortage of amazing animals, but the landscape was awesome. |
The boat drive was an excellent opportunity to see birds, crocs, and hippos. |
We also got to see a herd of elephants walk along the shore line, it was something out of a movie. |
The country really has a hidden gem in this park. |
The guides are also incredibly knowledgeable and so willing to answer questions. |
Spending 9 hours with someone, you really talk about anything and everything! |
What a great experience. |
You can not compare Akagera National Park to other game parks in Africa. |
If you want to see lots of animals then head to South Africa, Kenya or Tanzania. |
Akagera is nice for those that live in Kigali as it is an easy drive there. |
But you spend a lot of time driving and not seeing that much. |
I have been 3 times. |
Saw 1 elephant the first time and 2 the 2nd time. |
Saw 1 lion the 2nd trip. |
Have never seen rhinos, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas. |
Camping is rustic but the best of the cheapest accommodation there. |
The middle of the road accommodation is Akagera Game Lodge but it has terrible food. |
Most expensive are the tented lodges, I am yet to try those. |
We will be back for sure (we bought the annual pass, so why not! |
in search of seeing one of the rhinos! |
See more travel reviews on facebook at 'Living in Rwanda - Ask Annette'. |
Only 2hours and 13min(105.1KM) form Kigali to Akagera National Park home of the largest game collection in Rwanda the park is home of Hippo, Elephant, Baboon, Zebra,Giraffe the park is filled with Swamp, Rivers, and lakes which allows the largest diversity of wildlife. |
I visited Akagera twice over a span of a month while I was studying abroad in Kigali in the spring of 2017. |
I had previously done safaris in Tanzania and South Africa, so do not go in expecting the volume of animals that you would see on the open plains of the Serengeti or Masai Mara. |
That being said, it is the most beautiful safari-focused national park I have been to in Africa with the rolling hills and many lakes that it has. |
Remind yourself that this is not a zoo and try not to get frustrated at the park or your guide if you do not see something that you had hoped to. |
One day I saw four elephants (one mock charging our car), giraffes, hippos, buffalo, and at least six types of antelope, and another day the roads became so muddy we had to cut our safari short and return to Kigali. |
Akagera Game Lodge is worth the quality that you get (especially for the views). |
Stayed there both times, but if you have the money I have heard that Rusizi is worth the splurge. |
We were lucky to see a mother rhino and its baby just two weeks after the rhinos were reintroduced into the park (supposedly were the first ones to see the baby) but the mother would not leave the road and we had to turn around and couldn't go to the North (where the majority of the wildlife is) because of it! |
Rhinos are extremely agressive and protective of their young and one scientist has already been killed in the park this year by one of them. |
Also did a night drive which was disappointing in terms of wildlife but still a fun experience. |
Saw two different types of owls, a spotted hyena, two hippos out of water, and some other species. |
Definitely recommend getting a guide and a 4 x 4 as it will make your experience much more enjoyable. |
Amazing how much the park has rebounded since its area was reduced by more than 50% after the Genocide. |
We traveled here with 3 families (10 kids). |
Had a wonderful time. |
Highly suggest an evening boat trip. |
Innocent is a very good guide/captain. |
A bit difficult to see wife life this time of year with the tall grass after the rainy season. |
We spent 3 days in Akagera National Park. |
The moment we drove through the gates we began to see wildlife, including giraffes near the reception centre. |
We hired a free lance guide, George, who accompanied us on a 7.5 hour safari, which was well worth it as we toured a large portion of the park. |
The terrain changes throughout the park, ranging from plains, wetlands and mountainous areas, all beautiful. |
We observed zebras, giraffes, elephants, crocodiles, buffalo, hippos, numerous antelope species, numerous bird species, the list goes on, and the crowning glory, a leopard! |
We also went on the boat safari, with boat captain Theogen. |
This 1.5 hour tour is well worth it, as Theogen taught us what the bird species were and we were fortunate to view 15 elephants, a crocodile and numerous hippopotamus. |
We also went on the night safari, almost immediately viewing elephants and another leopard. |
Though the night safari was good, I would choose the full day and boat safari first if you have limited time. |
Be sure to bring a boxed lunch for the full day safari and plenty of water. |
I think for a first timer at such safaris this is quite a good place to try. |
The variety of wild life and change of scenery and landscape is breathtaking. |
It's a long trip if you go south to north, takes up to 6 hours, with only two far apart stops with bathroom facilities which could be an issue as it's generally viewed dangerous to get out of the car. |
So go easy on the liquids. |
Get a good 4x4 as it's going to be a bumpy ride which is part of this magnificent experience but you still need a car that can handle proper off-reading and has a decent AC, you want to keep your windows closed if you're not viewing anything Because of the flies and insects. |
We had no problems with these, but others reported not-so-nice experiences with horseflies. |
Zebras and all sorts of antelope and baboons are in abundance and you'll bump into more of them than you'd probably hoped for. |
Sometimes you see animals that are a bit far off the route, and you can't get close, that's a bit of a bummer, happened to us with Giraffes. |
Lots of hippos too, we got lucky with one out of the water taking a stroll. |
No luck seeing a rhino or a lion, but there's only few of them so you got to be really lucky to catch one of those. |
We were lucky to bump into elephants. |
There will be times when you would drive for an hour and see nothing. |
That's normal but people expect to have uninterrupted viewing of different animals and that's not the case. |
It's a big part (small in comparison to others, but you're still driving for 170km or so) Get an early start so that you're not short on time, the exit closes at 6pm. |
I came here on a day-trip through a tour company (Individual Tours - Aloys). |
It was pretty underwhelming. |
I saw some wildlife: zebras, impalas, warthogs. |
Other fauna mostly at a distance (tip: bring binoculars). |
It just was not very impressive nor justified the price of the tour ($300). |
And forget about the Big Five - saw buffaloes only. |
No elephants, no rhinos. |
We spent about four hours in the park; maybe that's the fault of the tour guide. |
Anyway, I would not recommend. |
The golden monkeys in Volcanoes was a much better experience. |
Rwanda isn't famous for its safaris, and I had been to parks in Kenya and South Africa already, so I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised! |
There is a diverse variety of animals inside the park, and it's actually nice that it's not as well-known, because then the park isn't as busy. |
We saw all sorts of animals, including a herd of elephants. |
The landscape is different than other countries, as there's a lot more trees and woods, but you still see hippos, antelopes, impalas, elephants, zebras, crocodiles, etc. |
There are only 19 lions, so you don't see those, but maybe you will in a few years! |
This park is a convenient day trip from Kigali and there is a tarmac road all the way. |
After the 1994 genocide (when the park was neglected and which was a refuge for folks fleeing the violence) the park has been regenerated. |
Although shrunk to half it original size, there is plenty of game - elephants, giraffes, hippos, warthogs, deer, baboons, along with lions and rhinos. |
They have the big 5, but not on the scale one would see in Tanzania or Botswana. |
The park is well managed and policed. |
We went in Oct 2017 mid week and there were only 3 safari vehicles around. |
Overall an incredible experience. |
Highly recommend a visit. |
I went to this safari and was amazing , in part , because we have a great local guide . |
You get dirty , yes , but is an experience for life . |
Quite place , the animals are in peace and well treated . |
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