Visit Akagera National Park; What to see and do.
Akagera has recently become a Big Five destination but some of the main species can be difficult to find. Buffalo is common and you might see elephant as well. The newly introduced lions are remarkably relaxed, but sightings are hit-and-miss. Black rhino is the most recent addition, but they are very shy. Leopards can be spotted on night drives. There are a lot of plains animals, including Burchell's zebra and Masai giraffe. Akagera is also home to 11 antelope species. The most common throughout the park is the gracious impala, but of particular interest are the big herds of topi. Defassa waterbuck are regularly seen around the lakes and bushbuck is a widespread resident in the woodland areas. The rare sitatunga antelope is known to reside in the swamps.
Birdlife
With around 480 species recorded, Akagera offers excellent birding. Of the 480 species, 100 birds are not found in any other protected area in Rwanda. Akagera is Rwanda’s second most important birding site after Nyungwe, and the two parks complement each other perfectly – very few birds recorded in Rwanda can’t be found in either park. Akagera is a good place to see a variety of raptors, including bateleur, white-backed and Ruppell’s griffon vultures, and brown snake-eagle.
