Situated in the Eastern part of Rwanda, Akagera National Park is one of the most popular safari destinations in the country. Aside from boat cruising as one of the most popular activities in the park, especially on the fresh waters of Ihema, which lies in the heart of Akagera, birding is yet another exciting and popular tourism activity that travelers can engage in and have a full and outstanding Akagera wildlife experience.
It is also worth noting that Akagera National Park is the second best birding destination in Rwanda after the uncharted Nyungwe Forest National Park. 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. This is why this hidden gem is considered and was declared an Important Bird Area (IBA).
A boat cruise on the serene waters of Lake Ihema in the middle of Akagera shall enable guests and travelers to sight some of the exciting and interesting bird species like the African fish, cormorants, marabou stork, to mention but a few. It is also worth noting that aside from the abundant bird species sheltered in this gem, the big 5 mammal species are also popular tourism attractions in Akagera and guests might bump into a group of elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, lions, or leopards.
Even though this exciting tourism activity is open for tourists throughout the whole year, the best time to visit this birder’s paradise and have the best of Rwanda’s birding tours is the dry season of the year.
The dry period runs from June to September and this is the best time for bird lovers to encounter a lot of interesting bird species like the francolins, owls, night jars, and wetland birds. The wet season with little rain is also a perfect time for other bird species, especially the open grassland birds. It’s in late November to April that travelers can anticipate the migratory birds from the west.
Some of the most common bird species that travelers might bump into or sight in a distance may include grasshopper buzzard, 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.
