Akagera national park
Things to see and do….
On any safari trip, exotic, interesting and outstanding sights are a general expectation. Everyone wants to see something spectacular and out of their everyday scenery. National parks such as Akagera are full such sights and a good place for such experiences.
Animals, birds, beautifully displayed scenery, new cultures, are some of the attractions that make Africa safaris so popular and memorable. Akagera has its fair share of attractions that will make you want to keep visiting the park.
Wildlife Safaris in Akagera
Akagera national park boasts of quite the variety of wildlife including some of the big 5. Lions, elephants, buffaloes, and leopards. There are hyenas, zebras, hippos, crocodiles, antelopes, cape elands, impalas, wide eyed bush-bays, warthogs, oribi, bush buck, Tsessebe ,sittatungas. There are over 100 elephants in the park today.
While Akagera is a major primate habitat, there are some primate specie sin the park such as the vervet monkey, the olive baboon , the silver monkey, and some blue monkeys.
Game drives in the park are quite exciting. There are skilled and very knowledgeable guides to lead you on the game drive and give you information about the various animals you might see.
Birdwatching in Akagera
Over 750 bird species found in the park, makes Akagera national park a birdwatchers dream destination. There is no way you can see all those birds in a single trip, pretty much a new bird to discover each day.
The shoe bill stork that many birdwatchers search for can be seen here, and so can several other water birds.
Other birds in Akagera national park include: raptors, papyrus gonolek, shoe bill stocks, migrant birds such as the lesser kestrel and the great sniper, the Zambian arnot chat, suaza shrike and the long tailed cistola, and many other colorful birds.
Akagera Nature Walks
Akagera park has so many beautiful sights that can be best admired up close. Nature walks give you the opportunity to see things up close. The exotic plants, colorful butterfly species, the still water in some if the lakes, the water birds, the smaller animals that you couldn’t see quite well on the game drive. Nature walks are peaceful and a very good opportunity to appreciate nature at a much slower and easier pace.
Nocturnal game drives
Game drives in the park are fun, game drives in the park at night are even more exciting. There is always a sense of mystery about the night and nocturnal game drives capture that quite effusively.
There are animals in the park that you might fail to see in the day, but that will be quite up and active in the night and so much easier to see. Animals such as leopards, civets, hyenas, and bush babies might be much easier to see during the night. Some birds are nocturnal too.
Boat rides in Akagera
With so many natural water sources;swamps, Lakes and a river it is only right that you go on a boat ride on your visit to Akagera national park. Be sure to go on a boat ride on Lake Ihema. You will see one of the biggest concentration of Hippos in East Africa, and so many water birds.
Elephants too are quite common along the shores of the lake. And of course you get to take the view of the park from the water, and it is quite breath taking.
Fishing In Akagera Lake Shakani
For those who might want to go fishing, whether as a sport or for food, you can do some fishing in Lake Shakani, one of the many lakes in the area. Most common fish in the lake are tilapia and cat fish. As you do your fishing, you might catch sight of or hear hippos further nearby. There are also some fishing tournaments that take place in the park every now then, you could participate if there is one going on at the time of your visit.
This park is all about nature, every activity and attractions is so naturally exciting beautiful and unspoilt. If you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and just enjoy the serenity that nature offers, this is a the safari destination for you. It is only a 2 ½ hours drive from Kigali so you go back into the city quite easily.
