Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park was named after the river that runs along its eastern boundary; The Park is Rwanda's famous Savanna reserve.  In comparison to the rest of the country, the area is relatively warm and low-lying, and plains support a cover of dense, broad-leafed woodland with lighter acacia woodland and patches of rolling grassland studded eloquently with stands of the superficially cactus-like Euphorbia candelabra shrub.

The west of the plains lays a chain of low mountains, which reach the elevations of between 1,600m and 1,800m.  The eastern part of the park supports a vast wetland. The mighty Akagera River feeds a complex of a dozen of lakes linked by extensive papyrus swamps and winding water.

Poaching in this area has greatly reduced wildlife populations in recent years, and what was formerly the north of the park is now a settlement area for returned refugees. The lakes that remain within the national park are routinely used to water domestic cattle indeed, the long-horned Ankole cow is far and away the most commonly seen large mammal.

Apart from all that, Akagera is definitely worth visiting.  There is plenty of game around, like buffalos, elephants, zebras, giraffes, hippos and various antelope all reasonably visible.  The lakes support some of the highest concentrations of hippo you will not find anywhere in Africa, as well as numerous large crocodiles, while lion, leopard and black rhino are still in small numbers.  And the birdlife in Akagera is extraordinary. There are 550 species which include all sorts of rarities and some big concentration of water birds.

Akagera National Park is one Africa's game reserve where you can drive for some hours without passing another vehicle, and without knowing what wildlife encounter you might find around the next corner.  Akagera is also among the most scenic of savanna reserves, with its sumptuous forest-fringed lakes, tall mountains and constantly changing vegetation.