Akagera National Park

Why visit Akagera National Park?

Akagera National Park has established itself as a destination on the rise – Rwanda’s only Big Five park and one of the premier safari choices on the continent.

Akagera's lakes and varied ecosystems

The 1,122km2 (112,200 hectares) Akagera is situated on the eastern edge of Rwanda, where the sinuous bends of the Akagera River mark the boundary with Tanzania. The park's south has more water and dense vegetation, and the north has more open areas.

The national park safeguards Central Africa’s largest protected wetland, a complex system of lakes linked by papyrus-lined swamps. Away from the marshes, jagged lines of animal pathways weave across vast plains and sweeping highlands like a network of veins, a testament to Akagera’s status as a paradise for wildlife.

Big Five and other wildlife

Visitors to Akagera search for the Big 5 - rhino (black & white), elephant, lion, leopard and buffalo. Also present are Maasai giraffe, hyena, defassa waterbuck, zebra, topi, impala, roan, klipspringer, bushbuck, common duiker, eland, oribi, bohor reedbuck, hippopotamus, crocodile, warthog, African bushpig and kudu.

Smaller species include side-striped jackal, honey badger, serval, aardvark, pangolin, olive baboon, vervet and blue monkeys and several species of mongoose.

Excellent bird watching

Akagera hosts 478 bird species - including shoebill, red-faced barbet, ring-necked francolin, papyrus gonolek, grasshopper buzzard, Tabora and Carruthers' cisticolas, white-crested turaco and northern brown-throated weaver.

Why Akagera is a responsible safari choice

Your Africa Geographic safari to Akagera contributes directly to the conservation of the park to the benefit of local people because:

• 100% of Akagera tourism revenue earned by African Parks goes to the park's conservation efforts and local communities.

• We donate a portion of every safari sold to selected conservation efforts at ground level.

• Your safari supports our conservation publishing efforts, which educate the world about Akagera and other threatened ecosystems.

• Our chosen lodges support local community initiatives, ensuring that tourism benefits the nearby villages directly. They also adhere to strict environmental practices, such as limited vehicle numbers and sustainable camp operations, which help protect the ecosystem.

African Parks has managed Akagera in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board since 2010.

At that time, the park was a depleted landscape overrun by more than 30,000 cattle and with little sign of wildlife. Effective law enforcement, strong community engagement and wildlife reintroductions were the foundation for rehabilitation. Today, Akagera continues to provide for the 300,000 people living around its boundaries, directly benefiting from its existence.

Akagera is now a thriving Big 5 safari destination for both Rwandan and international tourists.