Cost of a Safari in Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Rwanda. It is the only savanna national park in the country hence the only one offering the opportunity to observe the big 5 animals (lions, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and leopards). Akagera National Park is located not so far away from the capital Kigali. It takes about 3 hours of driving from Kigali to get to the park by road hence making it possible to visit in the morning and return before nightfall. While a day trip is great for those who have limited time, for one to fully enjoy all that the park has to offer, they need at least two days. Two days will be enough for one to take a game drive at both the South and northern sectors. They can also take part in the other activities offered in the park such as camping, birding, fishing and a boat cruise at lake Ihema.

Akagera National Park offer Travelers wonderful accommodation facilities in form of cottages, lodges and campsites. These campsites can be found within the park’s premises or outside. Some of the popular ones include the Karenga bush camp, Akagera game lodge, Magashi camp, Ruzizi camp and several camping grounds. Travelers who choose to stay within the Akagera park premises get to enjoy the privilege of reduced park entry fees on their second day of visit. They don’t pay any park entrances if they stay beyond 3 days up to the 7th day within the park. Travelers who choose to stay out of the Akagera National park are required to pay for park entrance each day they visit the park irrespective of the number of days they visit.

The costs of a safari in Akagera national park vary depending on the origin of traveler, vehicle registration origin and age. Children between the ages of 1 to 5 are exempted from any form of charges although they are not permitted to participate in some activities at the park. Children aged 13 years and above are considered Adults and hence pay the Adult fees. The park entrance fees are paid to access the park while activities are charged separately. We will now break down the cost of a safari in Akagera in even more detail in the following paragraphs. The prices and costs are in US Dollars.

Costs of a Safari at Akagera National Park  

Park Entrance Fees: Foreign Adult Travelers pay $100 per person a day, $150 for 2 days and $200 for 3 days. Children who are foreigners pay $50 for a day, $75 for 2 days and $100 for 3 days.

Foreigners or East Africans who are residents in Rwanda pay $50 for a day visit, $75 for 2 days and $100 for 3 days. Children who are Foreigners or East African Citizens pay $30 for a day, $45 for 2 days and $60 for 3 days.

Adult Rwandan and East African Citizens pay $16 per person per day, $24 for 2 days and $32 for 3 days. The Children of citizens of Rwanda or East Africans pay $11 per child for a day, $16 for 2 days and $21 for 3 days.

Vehicle Entrance: Rwandan/East African registered vehicles or minibuses pay $10 as vehicle entrance fees while buses/Omni-buses/overland cars pay $20. Foreign registered vehicles/mini-buses pay $40 as entrance fee while Omni-buses/buses/ overland cars pay $100.

Game Drives: These are organized in collaboration with the park management. This implies that the park provides a Guide to take tourists around. The cost of a game drive includes a Driver and a vehicle with the capacity to carry a maximum of 7 people. Night game drives take 2.5 hours and costs $40 per adult while children pay $25. If one hires a vehicle within the park, they should be ready to pay $180 for a half a day game drive and $280 for a full day game drive.

Boat Tours: Boat Trips at the Akagera National park are arranged from Lake Ihema which is Rwanda’s second largest lake after Kivu. A day time boat rides within the park costs $45 per Adult while children pay $20. Sunset boat trips cost $45 for Adults and $30 for children. There are also private boats which charge about $180 for the whole boat. It is important to note that most Tourists go with the scheduled boat run by the park. This boat takes a maximum of 11 people.

Sport Fishing: Akagera National Park offers Tourists the opportunity to do sport fishing in Rwanda. This activity is also done at Lake Ihema but participants are required to bring along their own fishing equipment. Sport fishing in Akagera National Park costs $25 per adult while kids pay $15.

Camping and Hotels: Akagera National park also offers Travelers camping opportunities. The park provides a safe camping site and tents but Travelers should carry their own camping equipment or bedding. Camping in Akagera cost $25 per night for Adults while children pay $15 per night. If one is not interested in the campsites, they can book one of the hotels. A good self-contained budget hotel costs between $80 to $100 per night. Mid-range hotels for about $185 while Luxury lodges go for between $400 to $600. The Super Luxury Lodge can cost between $800 to $1500 per night.

Other costs relating to a safari in Akagera National Park  

Park Guide/Ranger fees: Travelers who would like to hire Guides from within the park for a game drive can do so for $25 (half-day game drive). Hiring a Guide for a full-day game drive costs $40 per Guide. Those who would like to do research activities within the park and wish to hire an Assistant Ranger should be prepared to pay $25 per day although some terms and conditions may apply.

Research fee: Travelers who would like to do research within the park can contact the parkmanagement before their visit to ensure that everything is planned for in advance. It costs $200 to do research at the Akagera National park. Those who would like to do commercial photography and filming can reach out to the park management for approval and be ready to pay $300 per day.

Community Tours: Tourists can choose to combine game drives or other park activities with visiting the nearby local communities. During a visit to the small villages, you will learn a lot about how the local people go about their daily lives. The community tours offer opportunities to mingle and interview the local people. They will also teach you their craft making skills, music and dance performances among lots of other fun activities. From the villages, you will find beautiful souvenirs to take home with you after your trip.