Overview
Akagera National Park is a land of natural beauty travelers can discover in the city of a thousand hills. Akagera National Park is made of 10 lakes that supply water throughout the park and the other parts of Rwanda next to the park. Akagera is located in Kibungu district in northeastern Rwanda, on the border with Tanzania, covering 1122 km2 area of land. It harbors diverse wildlife such as zebras, hyenas, buffalos, lions, and leopards, among others that feed on the 10 lakes of Akagera National Park. The lakes in Akagera have distinctive sizes, depths, shapes, and wildlife attracted, lakes including Lake Ihema, Lake Hago, Lake Mihindi, Lake Rwanyakazinga, Lake Gishanju, Lake Kivimba, Lake Murambya, Lake Murambi, Lake Shakani and Lake Birengero.
Lake Ihema
Lake Ihema is the biggest lake in Akagera National Park, located in the park’s southern sector, covering over 90 km2 of the area, digging 5-7 meters deep. Lake Ihema is the most prominent among all the 10 lakes of Akagera National Park, attracting several tourists to enjoy the fascinating boat cruise on the lake. Boat cruises on Lake Ihema occur twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. However, they can still be organized depending on the nature of the traveler. Schedules are available running from 7:30 am, 9 am, 3 pm, and 4 pm, sailing travelers along the fringed forest while viewing wildlife by the lake shores as they come from the forest to the lake such as hippos, crocodiles, buffalos, among others. The lake shores are also decorated by a variety of bird species like herons, Malachite kingfishers, jacanas, and a lot more.
Lake Hago
Lake Hago is a beauty on its own by the fact that it is surrounded by other smaller lakes still in Akagera National Park. Lake Hago is located in the eastern province of Rwanda Akagera National Park at an altitude of 1285 meters above sea level. It attracts animals like zebras, elephants, topi, giraffes, and many more.
Lake Rwanyakazinga
Lake Rwanyakazinga is found in the northeastern sector of Akagera National Park, favoring the stay of crocodiles, hippos, as well as some water bird species. The lake is prominent and can be viewed by tourists on safaris in Rwanda.
Lake Shakani
Lake Shakani is quite shallower than the first mentioned, which contributes to the presence of fish species in the lake. The fish in Lake Shakani make it best for sport fishing in Akagera National Park.
Lake Mihindi
Lake Mihindi lies at an altitude of 1282 meters above sea level. It is also found in the eastern province of Rwanda in Akagera National Park. Lake Mihindi is best for tourists who want to spot hippos since it has a great concentration of hippos.
Lake Gishanju
Lake Gishanju is found in the northeastern part of Rwanda in Akagera National Park about 2-3-hour drive from Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. Lake Gishanju is surrounded by papyrus which is a habitat for a lot of the papyrus dwellers such as reptiles.
Lake Birengero
Lake Birengero is found in the northern part of Akagera National Park which covers part of the eastern province of Rwanda. Lake Birengero stands at an altitude of 1442 meters making it ranked among the shallow water bodies of Rwanda with several papyrus plantations that host several bird species.
The best time to visit Akagera
Akagera National Park is open for visit every time of the year, attracting several tourists to Rwanda. The dry season is preferably the best time to explore the magnificent beauty of the lake in Akagera National Park, spanning from June to August, mid-December to mid-February. At a time when the savannah is dry, pushing most animals to the lakes.
