In a series of articles about Rwanda’s uniqueness and beauty, Hobe Australia has prepared a story that tells about Akagera National Park, known as the Home of “the 5 big animals.”
Akagera National Park is one of the biggest parks in East Africa and the largest in Rwanda.
It is located in Rwanda’s Eastern Province, specifically in the Districts of Kayonza, Gatsibo, and Nyagatare, and it also borders Tanzania.
Founded in 1934 and named for the Akagera River, which forms the eastern boundary of the park and the border with Tanzania.
Akagera has thriving populations of more than 12,000 mammal species and the “5 big animals” including lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes, as well as zebras, giraffes, antelopes, and hundreds of bird species.
Akagera comprises a spectacular open expanse of wilderness, wetlands, and lakes, with one-third of its 1,200 square kilometers dominated by water. Birders can seek out several Lake Victoria-endemic species, including the red-faced barbet and papyrus gonolek.
Widely considered to be one of the most scenic parks in central-eastern Africa, Akagera’s extraordinary biodiversity ranges from impressive herds of herbivores that graze the open plains to rare and elusive birds that frequent the swamps.
Since 2010 when African Parks was invited to manage the park, they have cut poaching to an all-time low, with the introduction of a helicopter, a canine unit, and rhino trackers. A family of lions from South Africa is settling in well and breeding successfully, and 18 eastern black rhinos have also been reintroduced.
Following lion and rhino reintroductions, Akagera now boasts thriving populations of these, as well as elephants, buffaloes, zebras, giraffes, and leopards, while the waterways teem with hippos and enormous crocodiles in water bodies like Lake Ihema which is the second biggest lake in Rwanda after Kivu Lake.
Despite being relatively small, Akagera is home to an impressive array of wildlife. A convenient and beautiful park to visit, Akagera can be a short getaway, a fascinating combination with Nyungwe National Park, or an easy add-on before or after visiting the gorillas.
Akagera National Park is just a 2-hour drive from Kigali and can be visited in one day with enough time to return before nightfall if you just want to see animals on the drive trail.
Entry costs are reasonable, as for Rwandans and EAC Citizens, the price cannot exceed Rwf 15,000, and it’s free for children aged 5 and below.
