The akagera national park is located in the eastern region and found along the international border of Rwanda and Tanzania with an area cover of 1,122 square kilometers. The national park has a number of lakes such as lake Ihema as well as other small lakes within the park. The national park comprises of savannah, montane as well as papyrus swamps that are homes to wildlife within the park.
The dogs were later attacked by a disease which led to the reduction of their population. The Belgian government later gazette the area in order to protect the area in the names of the akagera national park.
ATTRACTIONS IN AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK
WATERBODIES
The national park has a number of waterbodies that are scattered within the national park. The akagera national park comprises of swamp encircled lakes such as lake Shakani, Rwanyakazinga, Mihindi, Gishanju. The lakes are the best place to find the largest number of wildlife as well as birds. Animals found within the lakes include crocodiles, hippopotamus as well as fish species and the shoebill is the most seen bird on the lakes.
WILDLIFE
The national park comprises of savannah vegetation and thus a habitat for a various wildlife species such as buffalo, swamp sitatunga, savannah elephant, roan antelope, bushbuck, lions, hyena, mongoose species, serval, oribi, eland, Topi among others. The national park is as well a home to primates such as the vervet monkeys and blue monkeys that are seen at the lakes, swamps as well as savannah plains.
BIRDS
The akagera national park is a home to over 500 bird species which are spotted within the savannah plains, hills, forest, swamps as well as shores of lakes and rivers that occupy the park. The national park has various bird species which include the Zambezian biome species such as cisticola angusticauda, lanius souzae, myrmecocihla arnotti, afro-tropical highland biome, Congo forest biome, threatened bird species. Birds found in the akagera national park include long crested eagle, fish eagles, shoebill, cattle egret, hammer kop, black-headed, grey-backed fiscals, fan-tailed widowbird among others.
ACTIVITIES IN AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK
GAME DRIVES
Game drives within the national park gives an opportunity to the tourists to spot wildlife species within Rwanda as well as the big five animals. With an area cover of 1,122 square kilometers, the national park has over 800 wildlife species such as elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards and buffaloes, Burchell’s zebra, giraffes, antelopes, Topi, sitatunga, jackals and hyenas among others.
Game drives within the national park are conducted 3 times that is the morning game drive, afternoon game drives and the night game drives. The night game drives give the tourists an opportunity to spot the nocturnal animals like the civets, hyenas, bush babies, lions, serval cats and leopard among others.
BOAT CRUISE
The tourists in the national park can engage in the boat cruise. The boat cruise is done on lake Ihema the second biggest lake in Rwanda. Tourist can spot aquatic animals such as hippopotamuses and crocodiles. The boat cruises are done 4 times within a day that is at 7;30am, 9am,3pm and 4;30pm respectively. However, there are also non-scheduled boat cruise trips within the national park.
BIRDING
 Birding within the akagera national park is possible as the park is a habitat to over 500 bird species. These include swamp fly catcher, crowned cranes, marabou stocks, egrets, herons, red-faced barbets and the shoebill.
HIKING AND GUIDED NATURE WALKS
While on the hiking adventures and the nature walks within the national park move on foot to explore the flora and fauna species such as the tree species, butterfly species, bird species as well as wildlife.
COMMUNITY CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS
The community cultural encounters give tourists an opportunity to tour the Rwandan culture as well as its people. While on the tours the tourists tend to meet and mix up with the local people and get to learn their life styles, learn how to milk, make local banana beer as well as honey.