Reasons to Visit Akagera National Park

Reasons to Visit Akagera National Park are those key features that make travelers book safaris to this park to explore the wildlife species in the park. Akagera national park is one of the most rewarding national parks that can be visited in Rwanda where you will have a chance to participate in a number of activities and see a number of attractions. The rich biodiversity of the park which comprises of the water bodies, the green grasslands, different mammal species, bird species reptiles and amphibian species among other attractions have attracted a number of tourists to visit the country. Among the different reasons that attract you to visit Akagera National Park include the following;

Home to the big five

In Rwanda, all the big 5 animals can only be seen in Akagera national park among the national parks in Rwanda. The park will offer you the chance to track the big five animals by participating in the different activities like game drives where you will easily see the elephants, buffalos and the rhinos in the grasslands grazing during the morning game drives. In the nocturnal game drives, you will get to see big cats that is the leopard and the lions trying to catch herbivores within the park

Ultimate birding destination

The park is home to over 482 bird species that can be seen during your birding activity in the park. some of the bird species that can be seen within the park to ensure that you have an amazing adventure while on your Rwanda Wildlife tour include the striped pipit den ham’s bustard, Eleonora’s falcon, tabora cisticola, papyrus gonolek which is among the endangered bird species within the park, dimorphic egret brown crested lapwing, shoe bill stork, western reef heron, yellow-bellied, sooty falcon, Cabanis; bunting, crested barbet, slate-colored boubou, eremomela blue shouldered robin-chat Souza’s shrike grasshopper buzzard, Amur falcon, booted eagle, red-faced barbet northern brown-throated weaver and many other bird species that can be seen within the park.

Different activities can be carried out in the park

A number of activities can be carried out in the park which is another reason why you should visit akagera national park. Some of the activities that can be carried out in the park include;

Sportfishing: Sportfishing in the park is carried out on Lake Ihema a lake with a number of exceptional views in the park. On Lake Ihema, a number of fish can be caught like the catfish, tilapia Nile perch among other fish species. The activity in the park involves catch and release but in Akagera National Park you get to keep one of all the fish caught which is quite interesting. While you carry out the activity in the park, it will offer amazing views of the park where you will see a number of herbivores like the zebras, elephants, impalas, topis, Uganda kobs quenching their thirst nearby the lake.

Game drives: The different game drives in Akagera national park will offer amazing experiences, for instance, you will get to see the different animal species in the park-like the early risers which can be seen during the morning game drives these include the topis, impalas, bushbucks, warthogs, zebras, elephants, gazelles which can be seen grazing in the grasslands. During the nocturnal game drives, you will get to see the carnivores in the park like the big cats that is the lions and leopards and you can also see other animals like the hyenas trying to catch prey for dinner. During the night, that’s when the herbivores rest and the carnivores, on the other hand, are always moving around trying to catch something to eat.

Boat cruise: Being one of the few lakes in the Country, Lake Ihema is one of the Reasons to Visit Akagera National Park. The boat cruise in akagera national park will ensure that your choice of choosing the park as your tourism destination was not a mistake because it will offer you the most amazing adventure in the park because you will get the chance of seeing a number of amphibian, mammal and bird species like the crocodiles, elephants, Uganda kobs, impalas, topis, gazelles and so many more. The different water birds that can be seen in the park during the boat cruise include; the heron, the African fish eagle, the cormorant, the shoe bill stork, marabou stork, open billed stork among other bird species.

Cultural encounters: The cultural encounters in akagera are one of the Top Reasons to Visit Akagera National Park. You can also participate in cultural tours around akagera national park during your Akagera National Park tour. Around Akagera National Park, you can visit the Humure refugee village a group of people that established their community in Rwanda after running away from the political instability in their home country Tanzania. A tour in the Humure refugee village will give you an insight in the culture of the people there through their plays and dances that entertain the guests with, you will be taught on how to prepare local dishes and also have the chance to taste them, you will be taught pottery skills like making plates, pots among other items which will be entertaining and worthy of repeated visits

Safety of the Park

The park safety is another reason for you to visit akagera national park because the park management carries out different security measures to ensure that tourists have safe activities in a safe are. Among the safety precautions that are carried out to ensure that they have an amazing activity in the park include;

Checking for any weapons and any harmful devices at the park security checkpoint. Once you reach the park entrance, before you participate in a number of activities you will be checked at the security checkpoint in order to avoid any accidents like harming one another or the animals during the different activities in Akagera National Park.
Another safety precaution that is carried out in the park is before tourists participate in the different activities within the park they have to participate in a briefing session whereby you will be briefed on the do’s and don’ts in the park, what to expect during the different activities, what to carry out in the park, and how to avoid any accidents the briefing session will give an insight of what should be carried out in the park to have safe activities.
While carrying out the different activities, a guide will lead you through your entire activities and he will monitor the way you interact with the wild in order to avoid any accidents while in the park.
A ranger is also another person that will ensure your safety in the park in a way that he will protect you from any wildlife attacks with the help of his firearm although the chances of getting attacked by any wild animal in the park are low but in case of any, the ranger is there to protect you.

Skilled personnel

The different personnel of the park are highly skilled which will make your encounters memorable for instance the guide, the different guides are quite knowledgeable with a lot of experience making your time spent in the park memorable. During the different activities, the guides will give you the relevant information you just need to ask questions where you don’t understand and they will give you all the information you need to know because they are always at your service which is another reason to visit Akagera National Park.