The big five are in Akagera National Park.
The big five animals in Akagera National Park include lions, rhinos, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes. These are found in Akagera national park and they can be toured and sighted here, which is extremely interesting. Akagera National Park is Rwanda’s sole Big Five location, which means it is home to lion, leopard, elephant, black rhino, and buffalo populations. It is also a somewhat underappreciated safari location at the moment, although it is quickly recovering from years of neglect with the reintroduction of lions in 2015 and black rhinos in 2017.
Aside from the Big Five, the park provides excellent general wildlife watching, with Maasai giraffe, Burchell’s zebra, warthog, olive baboon, vervet monkey, and 11 species of antelope often spotted during game drives. The lakes of Akagera, which are easily explored by boat, are home to a variety of waterbirds, including the renowned shoebill. Rwanda is now a Big Five destination, with all five species found in Akagera National Park, the country’s only savannah location. Rwanda, which has long been known as a Mountain Gorilla destination, will soon be a Mountain Gorilla and Big Five destination. Before visiting Rwanda for the famed gorilla trek, tourists will not need to travel further to see the African Big Five.
The big five animals in Rwanda’s Akagera National Park include
The rhinos in Akagera National Park: Akagera National Park is home to both black and white rhinos. Few parks and nature reserves are fortunate enough to have both species. In 2017, 15 black rhinos were the first to be reintroduced into the park. These inhabit the park’s southern woodland section, which contains many acacia trees and forests, making it a suitable home for black rhinos that are browsers, grazing upward on tree leaves. Because of the habitat and the tiny number of rhinos, the chances of encountering a black rhino are quite low.
In 2021, 30 white rhinos will be introduced into the park. These are prospering in Akagera, and a calf from this group was born in May 2022. White rhinos are grazers that eat largely grass and are hence found in the park’s grassland northern area, particularly around the Kilala plains. White rhinos have a better probability of being seen than black rhinos. Visitors can also join park rangers in their morning routine to observe rhinos in Akagera Park. You can arrange the rhino tracking activity if you want a sure way to tick off the rhinos. Today, Akagera National Park is home to around 20 rhinoceros, and a wildlife tour of the Big 5 animals in Akagera would be incomplete without visitors witnessing rhinos. Daytime guided game drives in the park provide guests with excellent opportunities to see rhinos grazing in the area.
Spot leopards on a safari to Akagera National Park
The leopards of Akagera National Park: The leopard is one of the Big Five creatures that visitors to Akagera National Park can glimpse if they are patient and keen. The leopard is a naturally shy and dangerous animal. In comparison to other wild cat species, the leopard has comparatively short legs and a lengthy body with a huge cranium. Its rosette-furred body makes spotting the animal in the wild challenging for tourists. The leopard spends the majority of its time in the wild alone, lurking in trees and behind long grass. Leopards are difficult to spot in Akagera National Park, especially during the day. Visitors who want to see leopards in Akagera must go on a guided tour. This is the most elusive of the African Big Five, and seeing it requires some luck. Leopards are lonely creatures who travel invisibly. The night safari drive increases your chances of seeing a leopard, which is more active at night. Residents of Karenge Bush Camp can go on a night drive in both the south and the north.
The lions in Akagera National Park: When seven lions were translocated into Akagera National Park in 2015, the “lord of the forest” made a comeback. As of 2022, the lions had multiplied seven times, and the odds of encountering them on a safari excursion to Akagera had increased over time. Lions have been observed in both the south and north of Akagera, but the best chances are in the north, near the plains, where antelopes and other grazers populate the grasslands, providing ideal hunting grounds for lions and other cats. After the morning hunt in the plains, the lions will most likely be relaxing under a tree at the end of the long game drive from south to north. The park’s southern entrance serves as the starting point for safaris in Akagera National Park. Visitors can see lions while on a game drive in Akagera National Park; just make sure your guide knows where to look for the lions. The park offers both day and night guided game drives to its tourists, with the night game drives being the best option for visitors who want to see nocturnal species such as lions.
The African elephants in Akagera National Park: Elephants were on the verge of extinction in Rwanda a few decades ago, along with lions and rhinos. During the civil wars, they were often poached. But credit goes to the Rwandan government and the African Parks organization, which have been maintaining the park for the last ten years and whose efforts have resulted in one of Africa’s most protected national parks, with the elephant population steadily recovering. According to the recent wildlife census in 2021, there are around 133 elephants in Akagera National Park. Finding a herd of elephants, let alone lone ones, on a safari in Akagera ten years ago was a stroke of luck. You’ll be unlucky not to witness an elephant herd on your trip in the future. The beautiful African savanna elephant must be mentioned while discussing the Big Five. Savannah elephants are the world’s largest and heaviest terrestrial mammals. These creatures can weigh up to 6,048kg and live for more than 60 years. Over 100 African savannah elephants wander Akagera National Area today, and tourists can observe this incredible wildlife species during a game drive in the park.
African caped buffaloes in Akagera National Park: Cape buffaloes are among the Big Five creatures that visitors to Akagera National Park can observe. In the presence of danger, the Cape buffalo is known to have a violent temper and can quickly charge at predators. It is for this reason that big game hunters long ago found it difficult to track down the species and so put it among the Big Five. The actual number of cape buffalo in Akagera National Park is unknown, but tourists can be confident that they will see at least a couple of buffalo. Buffaloes are the most abundant of the big five in Akagera National Park, where they can be found in a range of habitats. The park is home to approximately 4,000 buffalo. The northern plains are home to vast herds of buffalo.
The Akagera National Park in Rwanda is the only national park in the country where visitors can observe the Big Five in the wild. The population of most of the Big Five animals in Akagera is progressively expanding as a result of conservation efforts made by the national park. Book a wildlife tour to Akagera National Park with us and enjoy an exciting trip of the park’s Big Five creatures.
