Attractions in Akagera National Park : Ranked as one of the most thrilling national parks in the republic of Rwanda, the national park is located in the north eastern region of Rwanda covering a total surface area of about 1,122 square kilometers. and sits along the international border of Rwanda and Tanzania.
The national park is named after Akagera river which flows along the eastern boundary and also known to have various attractions such as; Lake Ihema and other small lakes within the park, dominated by savannah, montane and papyrus swamps which are habitant for many wildlife species in the park.
And in this article, we get to know some of the tourist attractions that are found in the national park which rank it as one of the most excellent destinations to have a safari adventure from while in the republic of Rwanda.
Attractions in Akagera National Park
Wildlife
The national park is home to a various wildlife and this has ranked the national park as great wildlife destination in the country and sightseers get to marvel at animals such as; topi, buffalo, defassa waterbuck, swamp dwelling sitatunga, savanna elephant, zebra, roan antelope, eland, buhor reedbuck, Klipspringer, bushbuck, lions, hyena, impala, side- stripped jackal, mongoose species, serval, Oribi among others.
Water bodies
Due to the fact that the national park was named after a river that flows through it, the national park is also known to have a wide range of waterbodies and also made up of swamp fringed lakes such as; is Lake Ihema, Lake Shakani, Lake Rwanyakazinga, Lake Gishanju and Lake Mihindi. And all these act as homes to the numerous wildlife found in the national park animals including; crocodiles, hippopotamus and many types of fish species. Akagera National Park is also drained by river Akagera which run through the eastern boundary of the park to Uganda through Tanzania before drain in Lake Victoria. The shores of river Akagera are perfect for bird viewing since they can be filled with many bird species mostly the shoe bill stock which live in the swamp.
Birdlife
The national park is home to over 500 bird species and 44 are recorded as raptors making the destination a great birding destination in the country and bird here can be spotted around savannah plains, hills, forest, swamps and shores of lakes and rivers.
The national park also has various kinds of bird to see including; Zambezian biome species including Myrmecocichla arnotti, Cisticola angusticauda and lanius souzae and raptor species and some of these also include; balaeniceps rex and Palearctic migrant like Falco naumami, Glareola nordamanni and Gallinago, Afro-tropical highlands biome, Congo forest biome, threatened bird species like papyrus gonolek and localized red-faced barbet among others.
common spotted bird species in Akagera National Park include; shoe bill, hammer kop, fish eagles, Sacred and Hadada Ibis, cattle egret Augur Buzzard, Long-crested Eagle, Pied Crow, Vieillot’s Black Weavers, Grey-backed Fiscals, Fan tailed Widowbird, Carruthers’s cisticola among others.
Getting to Akagera National Park
The national park can be accessed by different means of transports and one of these is by driving to the national park here drives can about 135 kilometers from Kigali town and in drive take 2 to 3 hours. From Kibunga /Rwamagana to the park’s main entrance gate takes 1-hour drive.
Note; There is no domestic flights to Akagera National Park. Its only Akagera Aviation that offers helicopter flight from Kigali city to Akagera National Park which takes 22 minutes.
Accommodation in Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park being Rwanda’s biggest national park, hosts lots of excellent accommodation facilities ranging from camping sites, lodges and hotel, all offering quality services to the clients. The most used lodge is Ruzizi tented lodge that consist of 20 accommodation unit, covering the beautiful Lake Ihema and endless of the park.
