GALLERY
AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK.
Akagera National Park is located in the north east of Rwanda along the border with Tanzania. Although founded in 1934, much of the park was reallocated as farms to returning refugees after the Rwandan Civil war. In 1997 the park was reduced in size from more than 2,500 sq km (nearly 10% of the surface area of Rwanda) to its current extent of 1,122 sq km. Since 2010, a joint venture with African Parks, has seen Akagera being developed and returned to its former glories.
It is named after the Akagera River that flows along its eastern boundary and feeds into a labyrinth of lakes of which the largest is Lake Ihema. The forest fringed lakes, papyrus swamps, savanna plains and rolling highlands combine to make Akagera amongst the most scenic of reserves anywhere in Africa. It has exceptional levels of biodiversity and forms the largest protected wetland in central Africa.
Akagera combines well with Nyungwe and the Volcanoes NP to offer a great safari element as it is home to many large plains game species as well as species restricted to the papyrus swamps such as the Sitatunga and the sought-after Shoebill Stork. Notable plains game include elephant, buffalo, topi, zebra, waterbuck, roan antelope and eland. Other antelope are duiker, oribi, bohor reedbuck, klipspringer, bushbuck and impala. Of the primates, olive baboons, vervet and the secretive blue monkey are seen during the day, with bushbabies often seen on night drives.
Larger predators present in the park are leopard, hyena, side-striped jackal and lion. In July 2015, 7 Transvaal lions from South Africa were introduced and released in Akagera National Park, being the first lions in Rwanda for 15 years. By 2016 they had doubled in number thanks to the birth of seven cubs. Plans are underway for the reintroduction of the black rhino too, and this will restore Akagera’s ‘Big Five’ status
Due to its wide variety of habitats, Akagera is an important ornithological site with nearly 500 bird species. The rare and elusive shoebill shares the papyrus with other rarities such as the exquisite papyrus gonolek and countless other water birds that inhabit the wetlands in large numbers.
Getting there:
By road – 2/3 hour drive from Kigali
What to do
- Game drives
- Boat Trips & Fishing
- Birding
Best Time:
All year round
Accommodation:
Ruzizi Tented Camp
Akagera Game Lodge
Accomodation
The discover Rwanda kayonza eco lodge is located within kayonza in the eastern province of Rwanda.The lodge is eco-tourism friendly featuring solar power and water heating systems.
The stunning eco-friendly canvas tents provide you with spectacular view of women’s Njama valley farm,each tent is en-suite and equipped with a beautiful queen sized bed, wardrobe, desk, chair and mosquito net.
You can contact KOMPASS SAFARIS for more information..
This lodge is located in the Eastern province about two hours drive from Kigali. It’s within the boundaries of akagera national park in the southern province.
The hotel offers facilities such as swimming pool, the conference room which enables you to organize your meeting and the tennis court.
For more information please contact KOMPASS SAFARIS.
This small private luxury tented camp (Ruzizi Tented Lodge) has 7 en-suite tents patched on the forest shores of Lake Ihema each well protected by large palms and trees.
With only 7 tents, a maximum of 14 guests, the camp is a quiet an intimate retreat. Each tent has its own en-suite bathroom with hot and cold running water, a dressing area and either comfortable queen or ¾ twin beds, with a private patio at the front.
For more information please contact KOMPASS SAFARIS.
Gloria Hotel offers luxury at affordable prices. The Rooms are fully air conditioned and have been artistically designed with all the modern amenities for full comfort of our guests. The rooms are fully furnished and also provide personal spaces, which implies that our services are personalized according to the requirement of our customers.
For more information please contact KOMPASS SAFARIS.