Akagera Game Safari: A 3-Day Wildlife Tour Review
Planning a Rwanda trip? Specifically, considering a safari? Then you may want to hear about Akagera National Park and a certain, possibly awesome, three-day adventure I experienced there. Get ready to uncover if it is, you know, a worthwhile chunk of your vacation. My experience was really, really, really incredible. This in-depth look goes over all the bases, alright? Everything from sightings of cool animals to practical tips about your plans, to what I consider to be essential info. Let’s just look at how you could, like, totally make the most of your three days, just there in the Rwandan wilderness, because it feels so incredibly, incredibly remote, it is almost magical!
Akagera at a Glance
So, Akagera, located in eastern Rwanda, it’s actually quite different from other East African safari destinations. Basically, what you’ve got is a mix of savanna, woodland, swamps, and lakes. This really varied setting supports a really wide variety of wildlife. In fact, the park is a symbol of Rwanda’s dedication to preservation. That’s what many would argue. Akagera actually faced lots of obstacles, which are so easy to overcome when everyone bands together and is passionate about making a difference.
Akagera became a nationwide park way back in 1934, and it originally protected about 2,500 square kilometers. Tragically, after the genocide in 1994, there were many changes. You see, a lot of refugees came back to Rwanda and settled in the park. At some point, a really big chunk of land was given over for agriculture. As a matter of fact, the animal populations just tanked because of poaching and habitat loss, like so, so awful. However, things started getting better in 2010 when the Rwandan government hooked up with African Parks, a non-profit organization. Since then, they’ve basically been working their tails off to turn Akagera back into its previous grandeur.
The results are almost unreal, to be frank! The park has been totally secured, poaching has been seriously cut back, and important animal species, such as lions and rhinos, you see, they were brought back in. Today, Akagera is considered to be one of Africa’s best stories about doing conservation right, just with loads and loads of thriving wildlife. So many agree. Plus, the park gives possibilities for visitors, from the normal sort of safari tours to boating rides on Lake Ihema, so too the chance to, actually, even, see what life is really, really like in the local communities!
Day 1: Arrival and Game Drive into Akagera
As a matter of fact, my safari got going in Kigali, which is where my tour guide, you know, he met me right at my lodging. Basically, we drove for, possibly, two and a half hours to get to Akagera’s entry gate, yet the drive was, in reality, awesome, because Rwanda’s landscapes were incredibly picturesque. Once we got through the official park paperwork, the real fun could begin! Which is cool. As soon as you get into Akagera, that’s when you’re starting a game drive. It was crazy because the view immediately changed to the rolling savanna. After which, very soon, there we were, on the search for animals!
What I found super great regarding my guide, just, was how incredibly knowledgeable he was! Not only did he find animals like a champ, but too he seemed to know basically everything about their behavior. Now it’s not unusual to see antelopes, zebras, and giraffes munching away without really paying any attention to a vehicle driving right past, more or less. Very quickly into the afternoon, as it so happened, we even came across a group of elephants near one of the park’s several watering holes. It was so, you know, incredible, really. I would say, probably unforgettable!
We stopped at the park’s official resting stop in the afternoon. That is how a person could have lunch. It’s like a nice area that had, obviously, restrooms, in addition to some amazing spots for photo ops. That’s what people need. The game drive went on into the late afternoon and eventually to our overnight lodge. My spot had an incredible view overlooking one of Akagera’s lakes. The sunsets in that place? Well, I tell you, a camera is a must-have, alright!
Day 2: Lake Ihema Boat Safari and Another Game Drive
Day two started nice and quick because we went on a boat tour that morning right on Lake Ihema, one of the park’s major water sources, more or less. So too you may like that it is a truly cool method of looking for animals in a different setting, alright? Obviously, there are countless hippos. Seemingly, they really like lazing about just there in the water! But at some point, they might poke their heads out, and that’s when a person could catch their image up close and personal!
It is just crazy how so, so many sorts of birds there are, you see, but too that they are usually flitting right about along the banks. To be perfectly frank, I was, almost, utterly, completely blown away by how vibrant and alive the ecosystem felt from the water, to be sure. Right after we got done doing the boat thing, as it so happened, we packed up the vehicle for another afternoon game drive. You know, this time it took us through some parts of the park we hadn’t seen before.
Then later, in the afternoon, we attempted to track lions, given that they were brought back in not too long ago and people might enjoy catching one! As a matter of fact, thanks to some info the park rangers gave out, we found a pride of lions just snoozing just there beneath a tree. As a matter of fact, what’s even more fantastic is how it was super neat to see them relaxed and obviously settling very nicely into their recovered environment!
Day 3: Morning Game Walk and Departure
To be perfectly honest, I had thought that getting the opportunity to walk just among animals would be super fun and pretty cool, just from day one! Well then, you’re absolutely going to adore learning about how I actually did it, with help from an Akagera guide, as my final morning in Akagera played out! That is really cool, but a guide is needed because then he is there to keep everyone, you know, truly safe!
It is really different just when a person is seeing everything on foot, and that just allows an even more profound experience regarding the bush. My tour guide taught us so much concerning how to check animal trails plus identifying several plant types and their applications. After our walk, just before heading back, we made a final pass around the park, trying to locate any cool critters that we hadn’t gotten to check out as of yet!
Basically, what I can say is that the experience totally rocked! Obviously, you should give it a look! At some point, the next thing I knew, the time to head back had finally arrived. That, too, involved another awesome drive heading through Rwanda’s hilly settings. What is nice is how my guide took me straight to my lodging in Kigali later that evening, thereby rounding out a very unforgettable couple of days in Akagera National Park!
Advice for Planning Your Safari
So, it looks like anyone needs some solid advice when arranging a safari. Now these recommendations just come from personal experiences. Perhaps it will make your journey amazing, alright? Now just to be safe, here are my understandings:
- When To Travel: At some point, Rwanda does experience its rainy seasons in that march all the way through to May plus November, in addition to a short duration during December. That may just influence how things go regarding seeing animals. It is generally accepted that you will find the best game-seeing happening in the dry times from June up until around October.
- Where To Stay: Akagera provides various options for accommodations, just starting with spots offering affordability up to lodges with great reputations and luxury levels. So make a choice, after a person knows your budget range plus preference degrees! If you just might be watching expenses? Akagera Administration Camp is not bad because they come up with, obviously, camping areas plus modest huts. On another point of it, the Ruzizi Tented Lodge is pretty good, particularly for more luxury safaris, for all of its lavish cabins, basically with an amazing scene right beside Lake Ihema! For mid-priced visitors, look no further than Akagera Game Lodge or Karenge Bush Camp. Karenge Bush Camp, obviously, only runs right within the busy times, for that information.
- What To Bring: It will, actually, always depend on a handful of elements, as is usually the case. Bring very good binoculars since the animals might not be within super close proximity. Also it may just go without ever getting stated that bringing some form of camera that takes good photos is, like, super smart. Plus, never leave the lodge without a good insect repellant plus sun block. That can be what holds insect pests plus sun burns in place. It goes without mentioning to bring clothes featuring the longer sleeves along with slacks given that the nights may actually get sort of cold!
- Safety Tips: You see, follow a professional and do things the right way, such as how your guides let everyone walk near the animals safely and stay out of risky spots, alright? Keep close from an appropriate distance removed and be all respectful if watching wildlife! It really does pay off when observing, and not interrupting, animals in this wild situation, for that reason. As a matter of fact, do everything a park ranger tells you; they definitely learn everything about what is safe!
Would I recommend a 3-Day Akagera Safari?
Definitely. Positively. I would say it’s a must-try! Particularly because Rwanda’s just awesome landscapes and Akagera’s wildlife viewing combine together beautifully! Plus, obviously, you get all this conservation in one little adventure! The guides make seeing wildlife that is just running around even easier. Also because of my three days there I walked out way more well-informed. Furthermore, I believe I just appreciate the value involved with doing park preservation just a bit better than the typical traveller now, which I just adore about the entire adventure!
This type of tour really can give a meaningful knowledge of Rwanda’s determination on safeguarding its natural treasures. The landscapes are awesome for pictures or for merely soaking it all in. With a touch of solid prep-work plus, just hopefully, insights coming from me, one can certainly make this kind of journey truly outstanding!