Akagera National Park is one of the 4 national parks in Rwanda. It is the largest, oldest, and the only national park in Rwanda where you can see the Big 5 African animals.
Below are some of the facts about Akagera National Park.
Interesting Akagera National Park Facts
- It is the oldest national park in the country and among the oldest on the African continent, established as a national park in 1934 by the Belgian colonial government.
- It is located in the Eastern part of Rwanda at the border with Tanzania, just a 2-3-hour drive from the capital of Rwanda, Kigali.
- Covers an area of 1,122 square kilometers, making it the biggest national park in Rwanda and the largest protected wetland in East and Central Africa. At the time of its gazetting, it covered an area of up to 2,500 square kilometers.
- It is home to several of Rwanda’s lakes, including the 2nd largest lake in the country, Lake Ihema, located in the South end of the park. Other lakes in the park include Lake Shakani, Lake Mihindi, Lake Rwanyakazinga, and Lake Gishanju.
- The park gets its name from the famous Kagera River, which pours its waters into the lakes within and around the park.
- The park is home to over 10,000 animals, including the most sought-after African Big 5: lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards, and black and white rhinos, which you can see while on a game drive in Akagera National Park.
- The park also boasts a diverse bird-life of over 500 different bird species, making it one of the hottest bird watching spots in Rwanda. Notable species include the red-faced barbet, African fish eagle, different raptor species, grey crowned crane, kingfishers, African jacana, hamerkop, pelicans, cormorants, storks, papyrus gonolek, cattle egret, swamp flycatcher, long crested eagle, among others.
- The park offers a number of interesting activities that are a must-do on your visit, including day and night game drives, hot air balloon safaris, boat trips on Lake Ihema, sport fishing, guided nature / safari walks, birding safaris, and authentic Rwandan cultural tours.
- Akagera National Park’s attractions include the animal life, birdlife, lakes, and Mutumba hills.
- Akagera was once known as the “Park of Lycanos” because it had a very large population of African wild dogs. Unfortunately, the entire species was wiped out by an epidemic in the park and has been extinct from the park since 1984.
- The park is under the management of Akagera Management Company (AMC), created in 2010 through a partnership between the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the African Parks non-profit conservation company. This partnership brought Akagera National Park from the ruins of the Rwanda Genocide (1994) to its current state of glory through a number of conservation efforts.
- Seven African Lions were re-introduced to Akagera in 2015 after a 15-year absence from the park, transferred from South Africa.
- Black rhinos were re-introduced to Akagera National Park in 2017 and 2019, trans-located from South Africa (18) and Europe (5) respectively.
- An electric fence was put up around Akagera National Park to keep the wildlife within the park area and keep farmers and intruders out of the park. This helped combat human-wildlife conflicts, which led to the killing of most animals by humans during re-settlements.
- Akagera National Park has only 2 gates, one for entry and the other for exit only. The entry gate is located in the South of the park, that is the Kayonza gate (South gate), which can also be used as an exit by visitors, and the exit-only gate is located in the North of the park, that is the Nyungwe gate (North gate).
- The topography of the park is made up of woodlands, open grassland savannas, lakes, permanent and seasonal swamps, marshes, forests, and low-lying hills.
Experience the wildlife of Akagera National Park by going on a safari in this amazing park.
Visit Akagera National Park in Rwanda with these recommended Rwanda tour companies or send us an inquiry below to book through us directly.
