akagera national park - 1000 Hills safaris

Akagera national park found in eastern Rwanda is a 2500 sq km of mainly Savannah land. The park is named after Kagera River that flows along Rwanda’s eastern boundary with Tanzania. The river feeds into Lake Ihema and other smaller lakes in and around the park.

The park protects an African Savannah landscape of acacia and bush with patches of open grassland and a dozen swampy lakes. It has exceptional levels of biodiversity and forms a large protected wetland. Akagera national park is the only Savannah national park in Rwanda and the only place to sight most of the large mammals while on safari. Whereas there are forest elephants in the other parks, it is very difficult to sight them. Explore the park in the comfort of your safari vehicle while on a game drive.

What Other Customers Say About Us?

    
 
 
        
   Mindy L 
 2023-11-02
 
 
  Life Changing Encounter with Mountian Gorillas
We could not believe how amazing this trip was. It was a long drive from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park starting at 4:00am, but the early morning light with the mist covering the mountains was so beautiful. Our driver was very nice and quite knowledgeable about the country and it's history during our long drive. But the first thing he asked us was why didn't we stay closer to the park. Our travel agent made it quite clear that we had to stay in Kigali and I could not convince them they were wrong, so we had to waste 5 hours driving back and forth. Don't let your travel agent do the same to you! We had to be there at 7:00am to meet up with our guides and get assigned to our group. We were assigned to the oldest group but that means we got assigned to the closest troop of gorillas. It was still an hour walk from the end of the road to the beginning of the jungle, but our gorillas were only about 100 yards into the jungle. We followed them for another hour through a bamboo grove, then another hour back to the road. We got scary close to a troop of about 15 gorillas with a single silver back, Malambo, that was 18 years old. It was very clear that they were not even a little nervous around us. Even mothers carrying babies would walk about a foot from you with out looking in your direction. We were incredibly lucky throughout our trip. The mountain is about 15,000 feet and when clouds hit it, they tend to drop a lot of rain. But we never had any rain. When it rains, the gorillas hide in the bushes to get out of the rain and are really hard to find and see. The bamboo grove we found them in was very open and made it easy to get some great pictures. The rain can also make the walk up through the farm fields a muddy, slippery mess, but we missed out on that too. Even without any rain, some of the walk was not easy, especially for my wife who has a bad hip. However, at the end of the road, there is a rather large number of people available to hire as porters to help you during the trip. They are only $10 each and well worth it. Even with a couple of porters and guides to help her, my wife slipped crossing a small stream on the way down and twisted her knee. She made it down alright but was too sore to go see the golden monkeys the next day, so it cost us $500 each for the permits and then there was the driver and the guide too. Even with all of that, it was the most surreal experience of my life and I cannot recommend it highly enough! Come prepared for a rainy muddy mess but pray for sunshine. Don't be a hero, hire a porter or two. By the time you reach the jungle, you are at about 7,000 feet so altitude might be a problem, especially if you have to hike even farther up to reach your troop, which every other group had to do. Bring some cash to tip the guides that lead you and the trackers that follow the gorillas around the clock, and of course your porters. I guarantee that you will never forget this experience!
  
 
       
   Matt N 
 2023-08-04
 
 
  Beautiful country, beautiful animals, beautiful people
Where to start- not only is this company legit and trustworthy, they go above and beyond to accommodate every wish and need you have. They made everything EASY! The guides were beyond friendly- they were knowledgeable, fun, and (most importantly) good, good people. They treated me like family and went out of their way to ensure my comfort, safety, and enjoyment. I’m glad and grateful to have found them and will be back in Rwanda—and next time I come, I know exactly who to contact to plan for an amazing experience. Thank you, thank you, thank you! P.s. if you get Mugisha or Muhamed as your guide, consider yourself extremely lucky and please, please treat them well!
  
 
       
   Corrado B 
 2023-07-12
 
 
  Fantastica esperienza
Il safari nel parco è comunque bello, sia nell'escursione diurna che in quella notturna. Il safari in sé è a nostro avviso una delle esperienze più importanti nella vita di ognuno di noi.
  
 
       
   Laujith 
 2023-05-02
 
 
  Once in a Life Time Experience - Thanks 1000 Hills
What an excellent service by Leo & Yves! for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see Silver Back Gorillas. Leo & Yves were in action helping me arrange a permit and Covid test. Leo even came to RBC to complete the PCR formalities The Gorilla Trekking experience is amazing and will never forget it. We had an amazing time with our Guide Yves and he was great throughout the trip! He was super friendly, highly knowledgeable. We totally recommend booking this Trip through 1000 Hills, and specifically asking for Yves and Leo!
  
 
       
   Laujith 
 2023-05-02
 
 
  Amazing Leo & Yves
We had an excellent trip to Akagara Game Drive. Yves was our guide, and he was absolutely amazing. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. We were picked up on time from Kigali and we did a full-day trip through the park. Akagara is stunningly beautiful, and we saw Hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, baboons, zebras, antelopes, elephants etc. Yves took us back to an area where the lions usually hang out. Unfortunately, we were not able to see them. Yves was a great and responsible guide, and he is very knowledgeable too. Last but not least, a big shout to Leo, the trip organizer without his help we could not complete this trip. Thank you both Leo and Yves for your warm help
  
 
       
   KB 
 2023-01-15
 
 
  Life-Changing Experience
My family and I spent nearly a week in Rwanda where we did the gorilla and golden monkey treks. The trip was well-organized and well thought out in terms of timing and itinerary. We made a stop to the Ellen Degeneres/Dian Fossey center, which was an added bonus. Our guide was Emmy - he was friendly, polite, professional, punctual and easygoing. He made us feel welcome and comfortable from the moment we arrived. He is very knowledgable about the country and shared many interesting things about the culture and history. His passion for his work truly shows. Having him as our guide was definitely a highlight and made our time there even more memorable.
  
 
       
   Kayla B 
 2022-11-24
 
 
  Lake Kivu Cruise experience
This experience was so great, Our guide Augustin was the best and really went out of his way to make sure we had a great time. They really helped with recommendations for our stay at Lake Kivu and went out of their way to accommodate and changes that needed to be made. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity ! Thank you so much 1000 Hills Safari for making the adventure such a great one.
  
 
       
   Emily L 
 2022-11-11
 
 
  Amazing trip to Akagera National Park
We took a day trip from Kigali for a safari at Akagera National Park. Our guide, Augustin, was early to pick us up at our hotel. He was kind, professional, and very knowledgeable! It was a lengthy trip, however we had the opportunity to see every animal you could ever expect to see on a safari. It was an incredible experience and we would highly recommend Augustin as a guide and 1000 Hills as a tour company.
  
 
       
   Joseph R 
 2022-11-09
 
 
  Wonderful experience
Claude was our guide and was absolutely amazing! He was very knowledgeable and accommodating. He picked us up in Kigali and we did a full day trip through the park. Akagara is stunningly beautiful. We saw zebras, elephants, giraffes, hippos and many more. Claude even took us back to an area where the lions usually hang out and we were able to see them. Two big lions in the open. Incredible experience and I highly recommend. Bathrooms are a couple of hours between stops so use them before starting. Food was decent at the halfway mark.
  
 
       
   Richard 
 2022-09-15
 
 
  Fidele is a world-class guide and person
Our 6 days in Rwanda included 2 days mountain gorilla trekking,1 day golden monkey trekking, a Kigali city tour,a Genocide Memorial tour, a Dian Fossey museum tour and transfers.Our guide/driver every day was Fidele.He is a world class guide and a world class man.He is really family now after all of the wonderful time we spent together.The experiences with the mountain gorillas and golden monkeys were breathtaking and transformative.Our time spent getting to know Fidele was life affirming.I cannot say enough good things about him and our magical time in Rwanda.about
  
 
  
  
 
 
   Tripadvisor rating score: 5.0 of 5, based on 28 reviews

Wildlife in Akagera National Park

Animals in Akagera national park

Akagera national park is home to a variety of wildlife which include, elephants, buffalos, giraffe, zebras, leopards, hyenas, lions. It is home to several antelopes like bushbucks, Topis, Oribis, water-buck, roan antelope and duiker, klipspringer, impala and world largest antelope – the Cape eland.

You can watch schools of hippos and crocodiles basking in the sun near lake Ihema. The common primates in Akagera national park are olive baboons, Vervet monkeys, blue monkeys and bush babies who are often seen on night drives.

Birds in Akagera National Park

Akagera national park has a wide variety of habitats which provide great habitat for 500 bird species. The bird species to look out for include the remarkable shoebill, papyrus Gonolek, African Wattled Plover, Giant Kingfisher, Senegal Lapwings, Squacco Herons, African Open bill stock, Grey Crowned Crane, African Darter, Long-toed and Water Thick-knee.

More bird species likely to encounter are, fish eagles, Cattle Egret, Hamerkop, Sacred and Hadada Ibis, Augur Buzzard, Long-crested Eagle, and Pied Crow. Black-headed and Viellot’s Black Weavers, Grey-backed Fiscals, Fan-tailed Widowbird and Caruther’s Cisticola.

Activities in Akagera national park

Game drives in Akagera National Park

Game drives in Akagera national park are done in safari vehicles starting early morning in search of the leopards, hyenas, and the re-introduced lions. This is because the predators prefer to hunt at night or early morning and usually go into hiding as the heat from the sun increases. Along the carnivores, enjoy the scenery of this beautiful park and several othe big mammals like Elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, Zebra and Giraffes. The landscape and beautiful wild floweres will make for good pictures for the interested photographer.

Bird watching in Akagera National Park

Akagera national park is a popular and Important birding area in Rwanda. Bird watching enthusiasts will find birding Akagera national park rewarding as it offers birders opportunities to sight both the endangered bird species like papyrus gonolek and shoebill and the more easily sighted species like weavers, egrets and several Kingfishers. Birding is done while on a game drive, nature walk with a ranger guide and on a boat safari on Lake Ihema. Birding on lake Ihema will accord one the pleasure of water species which are otherwise not seen while on the game drive in the Savannah grassland. Overall we highly recommend birding Akagera national park for both variety and the ease with which you see the birds.

Boat safari on Lake Ihema in Akagera national park

The best way to spend an afternoon in Akagera national park is to take a boat ride on Lake Ihema. Most animals are hiding under shade because of the heat from the sun as others come to the water for cooling off and drinking. In addition to a variety of water birds, you will watch schools of hippos in the water and crocodiles by the shores of the lake. There are scheduled boat trips which happen during the day but one can book for a private unscheduled boat trip at their own timing.

Sport fishing in Akagera national park

The park offers an opportunity of sport fishing on Lake Shakani. You are required to make a booking with the park for sport fishing on this lake. Even though the expectation is catch and release, you are given an opportunity to take one catch for a meal if interested.

Cultural tours near Akagera National Park

Experience the rural Rwandan life around the cattle keeping communities near Akagera national park. You have opportunity to observe and or participate in traditional cattle grazing, milking, traditional milk storage in calabashes for preservation. You then go through the process of converting milk into different products like traditional yogurt, ghee and lastly take part in preparing a meal with some of the ingredients from the milk products. This is an authentic cultural experience shared by the locals living adjacent to the park, they get to earn from this supplementing their agricultural income. This eventually contributes to conservation culture and wild animals in the park.

How to get to Akagera national park

You can drive from Kigali through Rwamagana town to Akagera national park (entrance is only through southern gate. Northern gate is currently used only for exit). The journey takes a total of about 2 hours to arrive at the park entrance.

There is an option of flying to the park using the services of Akagera Aviation for those not keen on the 2 hour drive.

Safari lodges and camps in Akagera national park

Magashi Lodge
Ruzizi Tented Camp
Karenge Bush Camp ( Seasonal)
Akagera game lodge