Best time to visit Akagera national park

Best time to visit Akagera national park

Akagera national park is the only big game destination in Rwanda, with visitors having great opportunities to sight the Big Five animals and other wildlife animals in the national park. Akagera national park ignites a certain excitement and surprise in visitors traveling to the park for the first time. The steep cultivated hills, crystal clear lakes and breezy climate all characterize the park’s natural beauty, and leave tourists yearning for more.

Akagera national park is the biggest and oldest national park in Rwanda. The park covers 1,122km² and was first established in 1934 as a national park to protect the vast and unique plant and animal species.

The national park is home to over 8,000 large wildlife animals such as; elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, black rhinos, lions, leopards, and zebras to mention but a few. Akagera national park is also home to over 500 species of birds such as; the crowned cranes, egrets, marabou stock and the rare Shoebill stock. Bird lovers in Akagera national park can sight most bird species in the park’s forests, lake areas and papyrus swamps.

Tourism activities in the national park can be done throughout the year. However, there are specific months where tourists visiting Akagera national park, can best enjoy partaking in activities in the park.

The best time for visitors to visit Akagera National Park is during the dry season, which is between June to September. The climate in the park does not change much throughout the year, but visitors will experience warmer temperatures during the long dry season. In the same way, visitors will also experience cooler weather in the park during the rainy seasons. Temperatures in Akagera national park range between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius.

Akagera national parks has two dry and wet seasons, and the best time for travelers to visit the national park is during the dry seasons. Usually, the dry seasons in Akagera offer visitors greater chances to spot wildlife in the park. During this period, the grass in the national park is short and visitors can easily drive along the game tracks to locate the wildlife animals. Also, animals in the park spend most of their time in the open savannah grasslands grazing and cooling off in the nearby waterholes in the national park.

June- September mark the long dry seasons in Akagera National Park. The national park can be dry and dusty during this time of the year, as it marks the warmest time of the year. This time is very suitable for visitors taking a game drive in Akagera national park since it is easy for visitors to spot a variety of wildlife animals in the park. Also, remember to carry with you enough mineral water to keep hydrated during this time of the year and throughout your game drives.

The months of December- February are the short dry seasons in the national park. However, visitors may experience a bit of rainfall during this period, so make sure you carry a light raincoat just for emergency purposes.

The months between March to May mark the long rainy season in Akagera National Park. The park receives a lot of rainfall during this time period and usually the roads in the park are muddy. Visitors travelling to the national park during this time of the year should hire 4×4 wheel drive vehicles to ease your movement in the park. In addition to this, visitors should also pack a lot of warm clothes as nights in the park tend to get extremely cold during this rainy season.

The months from October till November characterize the short wet season in the national park. During this period, visitors travelling to Akagera national park can take part in bird watching activities in the park. Visitors can get an opportunity to view migratory birds pass through the park during this time of the year.

Travelers visiting Akagera National Park can take part in activities such as; guided game drives, birding, hiking, nature walks, fishing, community visits, boat cruises and camping among others.

Akagera national park can be accessed by visitors travelling from Kigali City. The national park is located about 110km from Kigali and visitors can reach the park in 2½ hours. Travelers planning to visit Akagera national park can consult a trusted tour operator for better travel options and tour packages to the national park.

Book with us your Rwanda safari to Akagera national park and get to enjoy the best of game viewing tours in this national park.