The 1-day Akagera National Park game drive offers an extensive game viewing experience in the vast savanna plains. Spending a day in Akagera National Park on a game drive allows you to explore mainly the designated game tracks in a 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof. A variety of sights await on a 2-3 hour game drive in Akagera, with a focus on witnessing the Big 5 game.
Where is Akagera National Park Found?
The one-day Akagera National Park game drive takes you to the Eastern Province of Rwanda, and from Kigali, you drive for 2.5 hours to get there. Akagera is lying close to the Tanzanian border and can be reached using a 4WD safari car. This protected area is managed by both the African Parks and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).
What to See in Akagera National Park?
Embarking on the one-day Akagera National Park game drive offers a remarkable wildlife encounter. Expect to observe your favorite animals in their natural setting. During your 1 day Akagera National Park game drive, expect to search for a diversity of animals, including zebras, elephants, rhinos, waterbucks, Maasai giraffes, bushbucks, and Kobs. Akagera National Park also offers excellent sights of oribis, roan antelopes, topis, impalas, and a range of monkeys like bush babies, blue monkeys, vervet, and olive baboons.
Approximately 500 species of birds also reside in the varied habitats of Akagera, and the majority of them can be spotted during the memorable day game drive. On the checklist, birds in Akagera include bateleur, lesser jacanas, African fish eagle, elusive shoebill storks, African gray woodpeckers, lilac-breasted rollers, red-faced barbets, African harrier hawks, African darters, Souza’s shrikes, papyrus gonoleks, white-headed barbets, and long-crested eagles.
Akagera National Park also supports birds such as Sooty falcons, Western reef herons, White-winged swamp warblers, yellow-bellied eremomela, tabora cisticola, black-lored babblers, common bulbul, red-necked spurfowl, and black-headed gonoleks. Depending on the habitat, expect to find additional birds, including ospreys, white-crested turacos, Knob-billed ducks, fulvous whistling-ducks, mourning collared-dove, Egyptian goose, European honey-buzzards, swamp nightjars, African cuckoos, Eastern plantain-eaters, and diederic cuckoos.
Birds and wildlife in Akagera National Park, Rwanda, range within the diverse habitats. The park is marked by habitats such as savannas, swamps, woodland, and Lakes. Each habitat promises nature enthusiasts unforgettable encounters on their Rwanda safari.
Description of Actual 1-Day Akagera Game National Park Drive Tour.
A day to explore Akagera National Park in Rwanda on a game drive involves departing from Kigali city. Being a single day, expect to set off from the heart of Kigali at around 5am and drive to the park within 2.5 hours. A 4×4 car is the most recommended to ease your game drive expedition during this 1 day Akagera National Park game drive.
Upon arrival at Akagera National Park, you can access the park through the entrance gate in the south of the park. At the park, your focus can be the northern tracks to interact with diverse animals. The Northern game track comprises huge concentrations of animals, including impalas, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, waterbucks, buffaloes, and leopards, etc.
About 6 hours can be dedicated for you to unearth the wonders of Akagera National Park in the Northern sector. Beyond wildlife and birdlife, expect to also appreciate the unique landscapes characterized by lush vegetation cover. This being a full day game experience, a picnic lunch can be considered, and you return at once.
After the memorable one-day game drive through Akagera, expect to return to Kigali or your preferred destination. The exit gate is present in the Northern part of Akagera National Park. This is the end of your 1 day Akagera National Park game drive.
Nocturnal Game Drive in Akagera National Park.
Should you happen to extend your stay in Akagera, then a night game drive is the best fit for you. With a nocturnal/night game drive, visitors focus on the search for nocturnal animals/birds. The night game drive mainly comes with astonishing encounters of big cats, especially leopards and lions. These can easily be spotted as they rest or prey on the antelopes and other animals.
What to carry for your 1-day Akagera National Park game drive?
Packing right and light is essential for anyone interested in exploring Akagera National Park. The key things that you may require include long trousers, lightweight long-sleeved shirts, a waterproof jacket, walking boots, a wide-brimmed safari hat, a daypack, sunglasses, a pair of binoculars, and insect repellents. The packing list shouldn’t miss having toiletries, sunscreen, a headlamp, a power bank, a camera, visas, and a first aid kit.
What is included/excluded in the cost of a 1-day Akagera National Park game drive?
The 1-Day Akagera game drive tour covers game viewing session, guided services, transportation for one-day, bottled water, some snacks, relevant government taxes (Rwanda), and lunch. The cost excludes all optional/additional experiences after or before the planned game drive, accommodation services, tipping, alcoholic drinks, visas, shopping, and more.
When should you travel to Akagera National Park for a game drive?
Akagera National Park is a unique destination of its own. Visitors have access to Akagera for game drives all year round due to its favorable weather conditions. However, the dry months offer more ideal conditions for guests to experience the best of game drives. The dry seasons start from June to September, and the 2nd phase begins from December to February. Planning your 1 day Akagera National Park game drive tour through an expert makes it easier to secure a slot. You also know the right time to reach the park to engage in your dream excursions.
