One of Africa’s oldest parks, Akagera National Park borders Tanzania in the northeastern part of Rwanda. Akagera National Park is one of the finest hidden gems and a vibrant tourism destination in Rwanda. The park traps a wide range of wildlife, including the big five animals, and several tourism activities for its visitors, including boat cruising at Ihema, wildlife expeditions, and also a birder’s paradise with over 480 bird species.
The behind-the-scenes tour at Akagera National Park is yet another thrilling tourism activity that visitors can dive into while at this uncharted destination. This is where visitors get to meet up and move with the park staff, including park tour guides, park rangers, and administrators who get to share their conservation efforts towards the wellness of Akagera National Park.
Visitors shall also learn how tour guides get to preserve the wildlife. A park ranger will take you through the park’s initiatives, and you’ll get to tour the park headquarters while understanding how the park officials monitor and track the animals’ health and behavior. It’s at this point where visitors get to meet the park administrators and those managing the park, while monitoring the park fence lines together, hence getting to know more about this destination. Visitors shall also be able to learn how the park benefits the surrounding local communities through sustainable and conservation farming practices.
Several items are made by the same communities and artisans, beads, and honey are also available, therefore travelers can also use this chance to support the local communities by purchasing their items at a fair price. The park goes out of its way to support the neighboring local communities to suppress poaching, another illegal activity.
Visitors shall also be able to meet the park’s anti-poaching squad, which protects the park from poachers, with over 12 dogs on the same squad as the canine unit. Watching the trained dogs bark and surrounding the poachers such that the park rangers can make an arrest is one of the most thrilling procedures to be part of. Participating in this informative tourism activity, a behind-the-scenes tour at Akagera National Park is affordable and goes around 25 USD, taking 2 full hours.
What are the various activities in Akagera National Park?
Akagera National Park, being the only savannah national park in the country, alone is worth the entertainment, however, the park has several tourist activities as unveiled below.
Game drives
Game viewing safaris, as many like to call game drives, are an important aspect of Akagera National Park and a major activity. Game drives involve navigating the park, spotting several wildlife species, and getting an up-close look while in the comfort of your safari vehicle. This is the best way to explore the park and encounter several species since the park is vast with dangerous apex predators. For nature enthusiasts and Big Five lovers, a game drive in Akagera National Park is for you. Various wildlife species can be encountered, such as lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and rhinos.
Boat cruise
Lake Ihema in the far south of the park is the ideal site for boat cruise experiences in the Akagera National Park. Boat cruise adventures present the perfect chance for visitors to explore the aquatic side of Akagera National Park and encounter its species. These can include hippos and crocodiles, however, the lake also hosts other animals that come to quench their thirst like elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes.
Birding
Akagera National Park is an important birding area as it hosts over 480 bird species that can be exposed on a birding experience in the park. The park has various ecological systems that harbor these bird species. There are designated birding trails that the visitors, together with an experienced birding guide, use to encounter the several bird species in the park. Some of these species include African jacana, crowned lapwing, 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, etc.
Guided nature walks
The guided nature walks offered in the Akagera National Park are meant for nature lovers who want a more up-close interaction with nature. There are several designated trails for nature walks, and with the help of a guide ranger, visitors can explore the park on foot. From terrain to vegetation and wildlife species, the guided nature walk safari experiences have every field of excitement and adventure covered. Wildlife species to look out for include elephants, antelopes, waterbucks, warthogs, giraffes, zebras, etc.
