3 Days Akagera National Park Park

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3 years ago

3 Day wildlife safari in Akagera National Park

Our 3 Days Akagera Safari package takes you to one of Rwanda’s most popular wildlife conservation sites for one of the best game drive experiences in East Africa. Akagera National Park is located on the Eastern side of Rwanda close to the border with Tanzania. It covers an area of about 433 square miles. Akagera was founded in 1934 and is Rwanda’s only Savannah park. The park is named after the Kagera river which feeds Lake Ihema and other water bodies in the park before releasing most of its load in Lake Victoria.

Akagera national park consists of woodlands, Savannah, undulating plains, extensive papyrus swamps and sprawling water bodies. Akagera is home to all the big five mammals like lions, buffaloes, elephants, leopards and Rhinos. It also has Zebras, Hippos, giraffes, warthogs and several antelope species. Sadly, the park lost much of the wildlife during the Rwanda genocide in 1994. Thousands of displaced people encroached on the park land after the war and hunted down the animals for food or to get rid of the predators. The park had about 300 lions which were all killed by farmers who saw them as a danger to their domestic animals.

Akagera once had one of the largest population of wild dogs in Africa. The Belgian government saw them as pests and got rid of most of them. By 1984, wild dogs were extinct in Rwanda. There were similar sad endings for many other species but the new government in Rwanda has been very determined to restore the park back to its former glory and turn it into a world class safari destination.

A 20-year agreement was signed between the African Park Networks and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to manage the park jointly. Security in the park was also reinforced, lodges built and tourism has been highly promoted both locally and internationally Most of the animals have been reintroduced back in the park and their numbers have grown steadily over the years to an extent that tourists are now looking to Rwanda as a convenient safari destination to spot Africa’s famous mammals.

Our 3 Days Akagera Wildlife safari package includes 3 games drive and a boat cruise on Lake Ihema. A safari in Akagera national park is very convenient because the park is only 3 hours’ drive away from the capital. It is important to move with a park guide while visiting Akagera national park. They know the park well and can take you to the best viewing spots. If you are interested in a shorter safari, you can check out our 1 Day wildlife safari in Akagera or the 2 days Akagera Wildlife tour package.

Safari Highlights

Day 1: Pickup – Kigali city tour – Boat trip at Lake Ihema

Day 2: Second Game drive – Night Game drive

Day 3: Third game drive – Transfer back to Kigali with brief cultural stops

Full Itinerary

Day 1: Pickup from Kigali – City Tour Transfer to Akagera national park – Boat trip at Lake Ihema

A Guide from Mission Africa Safaris will pick you up in the morning from the airport or your hotel in Kigali. After briefing you about the tour, you will have a tour of the Kigali city where you will visit the city markets, Kigali genocide museum, the former presidential palace, a few art shops and other landmarks. After completing the city tour, you will leave for Akagera national park. The journey to Akagera National Park takes between 2 to 3 hours.

Before reaching the park, you will have a brief stop at the Nyakarambi village to learn about the cow dung paintings by the Kakira women cooperative. Their unique style of decorating houses using cow dung has intrigued many a visitor since it was started by Prince Kakira. The cow dung is first dried and then mixed with different colors from natural material (including plants). The end product is a mixture of red and white paintings that are very eye-catching.

Once you arrive at the park, you will make all necessary clearances at the gate and then proceed to the center for visitors. From the center, you will then proceed to your hotel. After checking in at the hotel, you will prepare to be taken for a boat cruise at the Lake Ihema. The boat trip provides opportunities to spot crocodiles, hippos and other animals coming to bath or drink from the lake. Look out for the elusive Sitatunga (swamp antelope) and waterbucks. You can read more about the price of a safari in Akagera.

Dinner and overnight at Ruzizi Tented Camp (Luxury) or Akagera Game Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 2: Game drive in Akagera national park – Picnic Lunch – Night Game drive

Wake up early and take you breakfast as you wait for the Guide/Driver to pick you up. This day is all about games drives. Our Guide will pick up an experienced park Guide to move with you and take you to the best places for game drives. You will go to different parts of the park while exploring the parks landscape including woodland forest, savanna plains, riverine forests and wetlands. During the morning game drive, watch out for hippos, Impala, warthogs, Topi, Zebras, spotted hyenas, giraffes, buffaloes, crocodiles, elephants and birds. The park Guide will play an important role in helping locate the lions, Rhinos and other elusive creatures.

Lunch will be a picnic in the open Savannah plains to allow you experience the unique feeling of dinning out in the African wild. After lunch, the driver will take you back to your hotel where you can relax and take a swim in the hotel swimming pool. You can choose to go for another afternoon game drive before the night game drive if you wish or go out specifically to spot the birds. Akagera is one of the top birding destinations in Rwanda with over 500 species recorded including the Papyrus Gonolek and Shoebill storks. The best place to spot the birds is at the vast wetlands found in the park.

The night game drive is designed to allow you spot the nocturnal animals like leopards, hyenas and mongooses, owls and primates

Dinner and overnight at Ruzizi Tented Camp (Luxury) or Akagera Game Lodge (Mid-range)

Day 3: Morning Game drive – Return to Kigali

Wake up at your r leisure, take breakfast and prepare for one last game drive in the park just in case you didn’t see any of the animals. Our Guide/Driver will meet with the park guide and take you to another section of the park for yet more wildlife encounters. After you are done with this game drive, it’s time to start the journey back to Kigali. Lunch is taken while on the way back to Kigali. In case you missed the Kigali city tour or the cow dung paintings at the Nyakarambi village for some reason on the first day, this is the time to do it. Please note that a safari in Rwanda and the Akagera national park in particular can be combined with chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest, hiking volcanoes, golden monkey trekking, biking along the Congo Nile Trail and gorilla trekking in the volcanoes national park.

End of Tour

Tour Includes and Excludes

The Tour Includes

Park Entrance fees
Transport in a 4×4 Tour Van
An English Speaking Driver/Guide
Park Guide to help locate the best places for game drives
Full board accommodation (three nights)
Airport pickup and drop off if required
Park entrance fees
3 Game drive including one for the night
Boat cruise along Lake Ihema
All activities included in the itinerary

The Tour excludes

Anything of a personal nature like tips for hotel staff, porters, alcoholic drinks, telephone calls, laundry and personal insurance.

Packing List

Sunscreen and a hut to protect yourself from the hot midday sun
Insect repellent to drive off tropical insects like mosquitoes
A binocular and good camera
Right safari clothing which should include light clothing
Swimming wear

Hotels and Lodges

Ruzizi Tented Camp: This luxury camp is arguably the best accommodation facility in Akagera national park. It is built overlooking lake Ihema with 9 private tents. A maximum of twenty guest may stay in the camp in one given night. All the tents are self-contained with a dressing room, comfortable beds, a bathtub, hot and cold shower. Each tent has a verandah and a table to allow one relax and enjoy the cool air and view of some of the park animals. You can actually hear the grunt of hippos and croaking frogs during the night. Other facilities within the camp are an indoor dining area, a quiet bar and laundry services. The evenings offer an opportunity to mingle with the other hotel guests by the fire-pit.

Staff at Ruziza tented camp are very friendly and will serve you tasty meals in or outside your room. Meals consists of jam, eggs, fruits salads, toast, Rwandan coffee and tea. Lunch and dinner can contain fish or beef brochettes, mozzarella arancini and chorizo. If you are a vegetation, there are several options available for you too. Booking with Ruzizi Tented Camp ensures that some of your money is used for improving the well-being of communities close to the park as well as wildlife conservation. The camp employs some of the local villagers as guides and catering staff.

Akagera Game Lodge: This mid-range lodge is built very close to the park gate. Because of its location it is possible to see many of the park animals from the lodge area. Akagera game lodge has sixty self-contained rooms – each with a balcony. Each of the rooms is built with local material and craftsmanship while also offering modern amenities like free Wi-Fi, a television screen, working space, a shower and bathrooms. You can choose to stay in a twin or double bed. The lodge’s elephant bar is where most of the residents get to interact. The bar terrace overlooks the lake and swimming pool. While at the bar, you can request to play chess, scrabble, Uno and Trivial Pursuit. If you ever feel hungry, all you need to do is visit the Shoebill Restaurant. The chefs always have something tasty prepared for everyone. You can order international dishes and allow the chief to add some local flavor to it. If you aren’t hungry, you can go to the massive swimming pool and have fun with other residents as you look at the beautiful Lake Ihema.