Akagera National Park (Le Parc National De L’akagera)
Akagera National Park is located in northeastern Rwanda along the Akagera River (a Nile affluent) bordering Tanzania. Over 200,000 animals of great variety inhabit the park, includ¬ing some of the largest buffalo in Africa, along with zebra, giraffe (recently introduced), hippo, crocodile, lion, leopard, impala, Defassa waterbuck, eland, sable antelope, bushbuck, oribi, roan antelope and black-backed jackal.
Akagera includes about ten percent of the country and is one of the best places in Africa to see sitatunga, which are often seen from towers overlooking the swamps. Rhino, elephant and leopard are rarely seen. Birdlife is excellent with 525 species of birds recorded — a record for any park or region of this size.
Akagera National Park covers 1100 square miles (2850 km2)) and can be divided into three regions.
The northern part of the park is predominantly low, treeless hills interspersed with both dry and marshy valleys. Buffalo, zebra, waterbuck, topi, and many other species of herbivore prefer this region. However, as of this writing, the northern part of the park is closed due to unrest in the area.
Interestingly enough, buffalo, zebra and topi are much larger here than those found in East Africa. Some buffalo males weigh in excess of 2200 pounds (1000 kg) with shoulder heights of six feet and horn widths of 3.5 feet (1.1 m). In addition, isolation from other populations in East Africa has caused inbreeding, which has resulted in some buffalo with horns twisted and turned in an ungainly fashion and some zebra trading in their stripes for spots — blotches of black and white.
The second region is the most unique and is possibly the best preserved and most diverse swamp in terms of both flora and fauna in East and East-Central Africa. It is composed of three large swamps separated by lakes along the eastern border of the park. Papyrus dominates the swamps. Large numbers of waterfowl, including herons, ducks, storks, waders and plovers can be seen in areas with floating ferns, swamp grasses and water lilies.
At the fishing station (Pecherie) on Lake Ihema (the largest of the lakes) boats can be rented, or you may join irregularly scheduled group departures to the islands and far shores of the lake. Plage aux Hippos (Hippo Beach) on Mihindi Lake has picnic facilities and is a great spot for watching hippos, crocodiles and waterfowl.
The third region covers the central and southern areas lying west of the swamps and is characterized by more trees and thicker vegetation than the northern region.
Two hundred and eighty miles of relatively good all-weather tracks run through the park; these tracks are marked with numbered crossroads. Stay in your vehicle, except at marked picnic spots, camping or hotel grounds.
The best time to visit the park is during the dry season, July-September, while February, June and October are also good. Tsetse flies can be a nuisance, but without them the land would probably be used for farming.
Accommodation - Class A/B:
Camping: