Akagera National Park is also home to numerous bird species in several habitats which include woodland, swamps, lakes, and Savannah.
Akagera is named after the Akagera River that flows along its eastern boundary and feeds into a labyrinth of lakes which results in the second largest lake in Rwanda called Ihema.
Akagera fringed lakes, papyrus swamps, savannah plains, and rolling highlands combine to make Akagera National Park among the most scenic reserves anywhere in Africa. Akagera has exceptional levels of biodiversity and forms the largest protected wetland in central Africa.
The north of Akagera is mostly fairly low-lying grasslands and savannah plains, similar in feel to the ‘traditional’ safari areas of East Africa.
To the west of Akagera National Park are rolling hills and valleys more typical of the Rwandan countryside while to the east of Akagera National Park, the Akagera River feeds into a series of lakes, marshes, and papyrus swamps that constitute central and eastern Africa’s largest protected wetlands. So, for a fairly small National Park, a safari in Akagera can be extremely diverse with a variety of habitats, wildlife and birds, and some lovely sceneries.
Although Akagera National Park was founded in 1934, much of the park was re-allocated and in 1997 the Akagera National Park was reduced in size from more than 2,500 sq km (nearly 10% of the surface area of Rwanda) to its current extent of 1,122 sq km. Since 2010, a joint venture with African Parks has seen Akagera National Park return to its former glory and once again is shining and harboring all the big 5 mammals that have greatly improved the wildlife safaris and tourism in Rwanda.
The park is almost unrecognizable today compared to just 20 years ago when it was on the verge of being lost forever.
While peace was finally restored in the 1990s after the Rwandan Civil War, The park’s demise was just beginning. However, strict conservation laws, better management, the reintroduction of lions in 2015 and black rhinos in 2017, the revamping of old camps, and the building of new ones have meant that Akagera National Park is getting increasingly popular.
Refugees returning to Rwanda after the genocide were still battling for their survival and turned to the Akagera National Park for timber, wildlife for protein, and the wild savannahs for their livestock. Lions were hunted to local extinction, rhinos disappeared, and the park’s wildlife was displaced by tens of thousands of long-horned cattle. Biodiversity was practically lost, and with it so were employment and tourism. The park’s value was diminished to the point of not existing at all.
Considering the position of the Akagera National Park today shows that its story of revival is even more remarkable. Many Rwanda tours go to Akagera National Park. In 2010, African Parks assumed management of Akagera in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), shifting the Akagera National Park’s trajectory from one of oblivion to prosperity and hope. After years of preparation, through effective law enforcement and management, 2017 saw the historic return of 18 Eastern black rhinoceros after a 10-year absence, thanks to the support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. Two new male lions were also translocated to Akagera in 2017 to enhance the genetic diversity of the growing pride, which has now tripled since their reintroduction in 2015. With poaching essentially halted, the Akagera National Park’s key wildlife populations have continued to rise.
More than 37,000 tourists visited the Akagera in 2017 alone, half of whom were Rwandan nationals, bringing in a record US$1.6 million in revenue and making the park 75% self-sustaining in just seven years. The park is most frequently visited during the dry season, with June to September and January being considered the best time to visit.
Akagera National Park combines well with Nyungwe National Park which is known for the nature walk, canopy walk, and chimpanzee tracking, and the Volcanoes National Park for its golden monkeys and gorillas offers a great safari experience as it is home to many large plains game species as well as species restricted to the papyrus swamps such as the Sitatunga and the sought-after Shoebill Stork.
Notable plains game includes elephant, buffalo, topi, zebra, waterbuck, roan antelope, and eland. Other antelope are duiker, oribi, bohor reedbuck, klipspringer, bushbuck and impala. Of the primates, olive baboons, velvets, and the secretive blue monkey are seen during the day, with bushbabies often seen on night drives. Buffaloes slightly increased to 2567 units from 2093 units in the period under review, but in the previous census, they were below 1000 units.
The Lions were introduced in the park only last year and have already doubled from 7 to 15 currently, despite one loss of an adult lioness. Other animals the census covered include; giraffes, eland, roan, Waterbucks, Zebras, and Topi, Moreover, the population of roan antelope, a species that in 2002 was feared nearing its extinction is rather recovering. Impala, Warthog, and Hippopotamus.
Of all these animals, the Buffalos, Waterbucks, Zebras, Topi, and Warthogs have greatly increased compared to their population in the period 2010-2013. Furthermore, due to its wide variety of habitats, Akagera is an important ornithological site with nearly 500 bird species.