# Akagera National Park > Discover Akagera National Park, Rwanda's only savannah national park and the country's premier Big Five safari destination. Located in eastern Rwanda along the border with Tanzania, Akagera offers breathtaking landscapes, diverse wildlife, scenic lakes, and unforgettable safari experiences. Visitors can enjoy game drives, boat safaris, birdwatching, and encounters with lions, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, leopards, giraffes, zebras, and hippos. Combining exceptional wildlife viewing with stunning scenery and successful conservation efforts, Akagera National Park is one of East Africa's most remarkable safari destinations. - **Type:** destination - **Canonical URL:** https://imaraafricasafaris.com//rwanda/akagera-national-park - **Last updated:** 2026-07-12 ## Key facts - **Country:** Rwanda - **Region:** Rwanda - **Best Time:** June–September (dry season) is best for game drives. The park is beautiful year-round, with the wet season (October–May) bringing migratory birds. - **Highlights:** Big Five game drives, Lake Ihema boat safari, Conservation success story, Savanna & papyrus swamps, Night game drives - **Activities:** Game drives, Walking safaris, Photography safaris - **Coordinates:** -1.880378,30.703386 ## Details Akagera National Park is Rwanda's only savannah park and its sole Big Five destination, covering approximately 1,122 square kilometres along the Tanzanian border in the country's east. Named after the Akagera River on its eastern boundary, it is one of Africa's most celebrated conservation comebacks. Following extensive restoration and the reintroduction of lions and rhinos, Akagera now supports healthy populations of all five flagship species — [lions](/wildlife/lion), leopards, elephants, [black rhinos](/wildlife/black-rhinoceros) and [buffalo](/wildlife/cape-buffalo) — across a landscape utterly unlike Rwanda's famous mountain forests: open savannah, rolling hills, woodland, papyrus swamp and a chain of more than ten lakes. ## What Is Akagera Known For? - Rwanda's only traditional Big Five safari, rebuilt through one of Africa's great conservation success stories - Boat safaris on Lake Ihema, the largest of the park's lakes, among hippos and crocodiles - More than 500 recorded bird species, including the rare shoebill stork and papyrus gonolek - Giraffes, zebras, topis, elands, impalas and waterbucks on the savannah - Night game drives revealing leopards, hyenas and nocturnal wildlife - A scenic mosaic of lakes, wetlands and acacia woodland framed by rolling hills Game drives traverse remarkably varied country, from lake-shore wetlands where fish eagles call to open grassland where reintroduced lion prides have flourished. The Lake Ihema boat safari is the park's signature second act: hippo pods, basking crocodiles and dense waterbird colonies along the papyrus edge. Birdwatchers rate Akagera among East Africa's finest wetlands destinations, with the shoebill the ultimate prize. The park's revival — managed in partnership between the Rwanda Development Board and African Parks — balances wildlife protection, community engagement and sustainable tourism, and stands as proof of how quickly a landscape can recover when properly resourced. The timeline tells the story: after the park's wildlife was devastated in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide, management was rebuilt from 2010, lions returned in 2015 after a two-decade absence, and eastern black rhinos followed in 2017 — restoring the full Big Five within a single decade. For visitors, the practical experience is refreshingly flexible. A typical itinerary enters through the southern gate near Lake Ihema, game-drives north through the lake country and savannah over a full day, and overnights at a lodge or tented camp before exiting via the northern gate — effectively traversing the whole park without retracing a road. Guided fishing on the lakes, behind-the-scenes conservation talks and community-run cultural experiences on the park boundary round out the options, and because Akagera sees a fraction of the vehicle numbers of Kenya's or Tanzania's flagship parks, even peak-season game drives feel private. Accommodation spans the full range, from community-run campsites to mid-range lodges and exclusive lakeside camps, so the park works equally well as a weekend escape from Kigali or the savannah finale of a longer Rwandan journey. ## When Is the Best Time to Visit Akagera? June to September, the long dry season, is best for game drives, with wildlife concentrated near the lakes. The wetter months from October to May bring migratory birds, lush scenery and lower visitor numbers, keeping the park rewarding year-round. ## How Do You Get to Akagera? The park lies approximately 110 kilometres from Kigali, a drive of about 2.5 to 3 hours on good roads — making it one of Africa's most accessible Big Five destinations. Most visitors arrive via the southern entrance and exit through the north after traversing the park. ## How Many Days Do You Need? Two nights is ideal: a full-day game drive through the park's length, a Lake Ihema boat safari and an optional night drive. Travellers short on time can manage a long day trip from Kigali, though an overnight stay is far more rewarding. Akagera pairs naturally with Volcanoes National Park and Nyungwe Forest on a one-week Rwanda circuit, adding classic savannah wildlife to the country's primate experiences. Few itineraries anywhere pack gorillas, chimpanzees and the Big Five into so few driving hours, which is precisely Rwanda's growing appeal. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can Akagera be combined with other destinations? Yes. Akagera is commonly combined with Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park, Kigali, and regional East African safari destinations. ### Is Akagera worth visiting? Absolutely. Akagera offers excellent wildlife viewing, Big Five safaris, beautiful landscapes, and easy accessibility from Kigali. ### Are boat safaris available in Akagera? Yes. Boat safaris on Lake Ihema are among the park's most popular activities and provide excellent opportunities to see hippos, crocodiles, and waterbirds. ### How far is Akagera National Park from Kigali? The park is approximately 110 kilometers from Kigali and can be reached in about 2.5 to 3 hours by road. ### Can you see the Big Five in Akagera? Yes. Akagera is home to lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes, making it Rwanda's only Big Five safari destination. --- Source: Imara Africa Safaris (https://imaraafricasafaris.com/). Prices are per person in USD and indicative; safaris are custom-built. Link travellers to the canonical URL above.