Best Activities to do in Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Rwanda, famous for hosting the Big Five mammals. It is located in the northeastern region, covering an area of about 1,122 square kilometers. Travellers planning to visit often ask about the best activities to do in Akagera National Park on a safari. This blog will enlighten on the best activities that travellers can enjoy while in the park. The park is known for having a mix of natural systems, including lakes, woodlands, swamps, forests, and savannah grasslands that provide habitats to its wildlife and bird species.
Akagera National Park is not only home to the Big Five mammals, lions, rhinos, elephants, leopards, and buffalo, but it also hosts over 80 other mammal species, such as impalas, sitatunga, elands, giraffes, zebras, caracals, warthogs, and more. Bird lovers will find the park a haven for birding with over 480 bird species that all call it home, including savannah birds, water birds, woodland species, and migratory bird species. Akagera’s rich biodiversity contributes to its various tourist activities like game drives, birding, nature walks, cultural encounters, and more that cater to all travellers’ interests.
Best Activities to do in Akagera National Park
Bird Watching.
Bird watching in Akagera National Park is a rewarding activity that ornithologists and bird enthusiasts shouldn’t miss while in the park. The park has over 480 bird species, including migratory birds, water birds, woodland species, and savannah birds. Birding excursions are best done in the morning and evening hours when birds are most active. This is a guided activity led by an experienced park birder who helps visitors by identifying various bird species and provides in depth information about birds that they encounter. Some of the birds to encounter include shoe bill stork, Knob-billed Duck, Secretary bird, Red-faced Barbet, Egyptian Goose, Osprey, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, African Pygmy-Goose, Red-billed Duck, Garganey, Blue-billed Teal, Helmeted Guineafowl, Crested Francolin, Ring-necked Francolin, Shelley’s Francolin, Coqui Francolin, Hildebrandt’s Spurfowl, Blue Quail, Red-necked Spurfowl, Red-winged Francolin, Dusky Turtle-Dove, Speckled Pigeon, Mourning Collared-Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Blue-spotted Wood-Dove, Laughing Dove, Tambourine Dove, Red-eyed Dove, African Green-Pigeon, Denham’s Bustard, Black-bellied Bustard, White-crested Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Purple-crested Turaco, Eastern Plantain-eater, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Blue-headed Coucal, White-browed Coucal, Black Coucal, Blue Malkoha, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Common Ringed Plover, among others.
Game Drives.
Game drives are among the best safari activities to do in Akagera National Park, which allows travellers to encounter the Big Five mammals and explore the vast savannah grasslands. Game drives are done in 4X4 pop-up vehicles, which allow visitors to clearly see animals in their natural habitats. This is a guided activity led by a knowledgeable park ranger who gives more information about the wildlife species that you might encounter. The park offers morning game drives, evening game drives, and night game drives. All give equal chances of seeing the Big Five lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants, rhinos, and other mammals, such as impalas, elands, bush babies, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, hyenas, sitatunga, oribis, caracals, civets, hippos and more. They will also see various bird species like Osprey, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, African Pygmy-Goose, Red-billed Duck, Garganey, Blue-billed Teal, Helmeted Guineafowl, Crested Francolin, Ring-necked Francolin, and more.
Boat Cruises.
Boat cruises in Akagera National Park offer thrilling safari experiences, and they are normally done on Lake Ihema. These allow visitors to explore the park from another perspective while relaxing in a boat and enjoying the scenic views of the park. Bird lovers will be amazed by the beautiful, melodic songs and sounds of various water birds. Visitors will see schools of hippos swimming and crocodiles basking in the waters. They can see elephants and buffalo drawing water or bathing from the lake shores on good days. This creates exceptional boat cruise experiences in the park.
Community Cultural Experiences.
This is one of the best activities to do in Akagera National Park, which gives travellers a chance to visit communities near the park. These excursions allow travellers to explore the rich culture and its people. Visitors will interact with the local people and learn more about their livelihoods, like how to milk cows, make honey, farm, and more. The money collected from the community cultural experiences is given back to the local people to help them improve their standards of living.
