Akagera National Park

Rwanda

Akagera is Rwanda’s savannah — lakes, wetlands, woodland, and a Big Five story that includes reintroduced lion and rhino. It is the country answering the question “where do we see giraffe and elephant if we are not going to Uganda?”

Game drives work the wooded hills and the lake shores. A boat on Lake Ihema is hippo, crocodile and birds. Night drives are offered on some properties. This is not the Serengeti; it is a compact, well-run park that rewards two nights.

Combine with Volcanoes so a Rwanda-only trip has both gorillas and game. A Kigali–Akagera–Musanze loop is the shape we write most often.

Wildlife

Lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, hippo, and reintroduced rhino — Rwanda’s Big Five savannah.

What we book here

• Game drives
• Boat on Lake Ihema
• Night drive where offered
• Combine with Volcanoes gorilla trekking

Where we put you

Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Magashi (Wilderness), and mid-range park-gate options. Inside-the-park nights beat a dawn drive from Kigali.

Getting there

Two to two and a half hours from Kigali to the south gate. We do not pretend it is next to the airport.

How we combine it

Volcanoes gorilla trekking, a Kigali city night, or a longer loop that still stays inside Rwanda.

Best time

Year-round. The eastern savannah is easiest to game-drive in the drier months.

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