Where is Akagera National Park located?

Where is Akagera National Park located? Yes, the location of Akagera National Park gives visitors an idea of where the park is as well as the park’s direction for a better safari experience. Akagera National Park It is located in north-eastern Rwanda, on the border with Tanzania. It is characterized by wetlands and small lakes that flow downstream from the Kagera River. The network of water sources and the distinctive environment combine to create a breathtaking landscape. It’s a very incredible ecosystem. The park was named after the River Kagera, which supplies various bodies of water, including Lake Ihema. The panorama of Akagera National Park is truly stunning, surrounded by cultivated hills that are so typical of Rwandan beauty. The topography is low, with large plains dominated by grass, cactus-like Euphorbia candelabra shrubs, and both thick and thin woodlands, while it retains the basic rocky terrain that is so characteristic of the region.

Akagera National Park is a protected region located along the Rwanda-Tanzania border, separated by Lake Ihema, which receives water from the Akagera River. To travel to the park, you must first visit Rwanda. Rwanda can be reached by air via the Kigali international airport or by land via the Uganda-Rwanda border. You will travel by car from your entrance point to Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, and then another 2–3 hours east to Akagera National Park. Because there are no domestic flights to the park, the only way to get there is by car.

The Akagera National Park was established in 1934, but due to the genocide that occurred in the 1990s, the park was destroyed and most of its species were lost. The park continued to degrade after the genocide because, as people returned to the area, they settled in some of the parklands, intruding on the habitats of wild animals. This drove the animals away even more, and the majority of them died from a lack of food or were murdered by the locals as they defended themselves.

African Parks took over management of the park in 2009, in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board, and has since worked to restore it to its former grandeur. The park has had various facelifts and wildlife projects through the Akagera management firm that was founded following the agreement, boosting the park’s amenities and activities to make it one of the top wildlife attractions in East Africa. The park’s work has also promoted the conservation of animals and the park’s natural beauty, including enforcing rules against poaching and trespassing in the park, as well as creating a barrier around the park to keep intruders out. This has helped to maintain the animals in the park as well as keep it clean.

Akagera National Park, established in 1934 to conserve wildlife and vegetation, is Africa’s largest protected wetland. It got its name from the Akagera River, which runs along its eastern border. The park used to be approximately 2,500 square kilometers in area, but it decreased by nearly half in 1997. A large portion of the land was re-allocated to refugees returning to Rwanda following the genocide’s civil war. Before 1997, many refugees returning to Rwanda had lived in the area, and poaching and farming had devastated the protected area.

See Waterbucks in Akagera National Park

Furthermore, new species have been introduced into the park; the park has welcomed lions, rhinos, elephants, and other creatures since 2015. The introduction of these creatures has considerably increased the variety of species in the park, with animals that were not previously in the park being added. In addition, the number of animals in the park has increased from 4000 in 2010 to over 13,500 as of the end of 2018. The park’s attractiveness is enhanced by the presence of savannah and montane flora, papyrus wetlands, and various water bodies. The park provides an ideal habitat for a diverse range of animal, bird, and tree species. Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second largest lake and the largest in Akagera National Park, is the park’s most famous feature. Lake Ihema is fed by the Akagera River, which pours into the river and continues to Tanzania.

Akagera National Park has become a tourist destination nine years after the formation of the Akagera management organization, with thousands of visitors visiting the park for various activities such as game drives that take place in the morning, afternoon, or throughout the day. The game drives allow tourists to see all of the park’s 13,500+ animals, and depending on which game drive you take, you will see the majority of the diurnal animals roaming around or hunting for food in the wild, or the majority of nocturnal animals running into their sleeping nests after a night’s hunt; this is true for the afternoon and morning game drives, respectively.

On a morning game drive, you will also spot over 500 bird species flying out of their nests and looking for food at eating or hunting centers. Birding in Akagera can also be done while on a boat excursion on Lake Ihema; these boat cruises provide a peaceful journey on the lake while you observe various water birds, water animals, and other wildlife as they stand along the lake’s banks or take water from the lake.

While in the park location, you can also go sports fishing, go on nature walks, and learn about the Rwandan culture of the people who live near the Akagera National Park. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also participate in cattle-keeping activities with the locals to spice up your Akagera Rwanda safari. The communities surrounding Akagera National Park are cattle-keeping communities that participate in traditional cattle-keeping activities like grazing, cow spots, cattle-keeping, milking, traditional milk processing and preservation, milk storage, and so on.

When you visit the towns surrounding the park, be sure to bring some milk and other dairy products, and you will discover more and new things about cattle keeping and milk production that will blow your mind.

All of these characteristics combine to make Akagera National Park a top location for wildlife viewing and bird watching, particularly for birding aficionados. You are assured of not only having the best wildlife safari in the Akagera national park but also the best places to rest after the exciting activities in the park, thanks to the well-furnished accommodation facilities around the park or a few minutes from the park that cater perfectly for all your sleeping, feeding, and other needs.

The location of Kagera national park matters a lot to all the visitors and, most importantly, it is found in Rwanda, dubbed the small country with a thousand hills.