Akagera National Park: A Safari to Add to a Rwanda Gorilla Trek

Two parks, one trip

Volcanoes National Park is dense montane forest on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. Akagera is open savannah and wetland, the largest protected wetland in Eastern-Central Africa, covering 1,122 km2 (433 sq mi) along the Tanzania border. Seeing mountain gorillas and then elephants, hippos and giraffes on the same trip means you experience two sides of Rwanda.

The logistics work because both parks connect through Kigali. Volcanoes National Park is a three-hour drive north of Kigali. Akagera is a two-hour drive (110km) east.

You can fly into Kigali, drive to Akagera for two nights, return via Kigali and continue to Volcanoes for your trek, all on Rwanda's good roads. There is also a money angle. The Rwanda Development Board runs a low season discount of 30% off gorilla permits from November to May for travellers who combine Akagera and/or Nyungwe with their trek, typically one discounted permit per 3-day/2-night stay with hotel receipts and one paid activity in the second park.

Check current terms with RDB before you rely on it.

The case for going

The park is managed by African Parks under an agreement with the Rwandan government, and a reported $10 million investment built a 120km western boundary fence, helicopter air surveillance and a canine anti-poaching unit. The results show. Lions returned in 2015, eastern black rhinos in 2017 and southern white rhinos in 2021.

In June 2025, 70 more southern white rhinos arrived in the largest single rhino translocation ever recorded. Wildlife density is good enough that a single day can deliver elephants, buffalo, hippos, giraffes and, with luck, rhinos and lions. For birders the park lists 520 bird species including the shoebill.

The honest caveat is that it is not the Masai Mara. Predator sightings take luck, and the wet season makes some tracks slow going, which is why 4x4 vehicles are recommended then. If you accept that, the price to reward ratio is excellent.

How each of the Big Five came back

Lions were wiped out after 1994. The population had been 250 to 300 around 1990. In July 2015, two males from Tembe Elephant Park in South Africa were donated and the population rebuilt from there.

Eastern black rhinos came back in May 2017, when 18 arrived from South Africa, followed by five more from European zoos in June 2019. Southern white rhinos followed in November 2021 with 30 animals, and 70 more were translocated in June 2025. Elephants and buffalo never left, and Masai giraffes introduced from Kenya in 1986 reached 78 individuals in 2024.

Leopards are present but shy, so a night drive or an early game drive gives you the best chance.

Gate, hours and vehicles

The park is open to day visitors from 6am to 6pm daily. Self-drive access is through the southern Mutumba Gate only, and 4x4 vehicles are recommended in the wet season. For a gorilla trekker, the practical shape is simple.

Leave Kigali early, reach the gate before midday, do an afternoon game drive, sleep in or near the park, take the 7.30am Lake Ihema boat the next morning, and be back in Kigali by evening to position for Volcanoes.

What people come for

The Big Five recovery draws safari fans who want to see the reintroduced rhinos and lions. Birders come for 520 species and the chance of a shoebill. Families come for the boat trips on Lake Ihema, where hippos and crocodiles crowd the shores.

Overall animal numbers grew from fewer than 5,000 in 2010 to over 13,000, a rare success story in African conservation.

Game drives

The park is self-drive, so you can take your own vehicle on the network of tracks from 6am to 6pm. Best game viewing is June to September, when vegetation thins and animals gather at remaining water sources. Hire a park guide at $25 for a half day or $40 for a full day, worth it for tracking the reintroduced rhinos and lions.

Lake Ihema boat safari

The boat is the easiest way to see hippos, crocodiles and waterbirds up close. Trips run at 7.30am, 9am, 3pm and 4.30pm. The scheduled boat trip costs $35 and the sunset trip costs $45.

The 7.30am slot fits perfectly before driving back towards Kigali.

Night drives

Night drives cost $40 per adult and search for leopards, hyenas and nocturnal species. Vehicles take a maximum of seven guests and the activity is only for overnight guests, so book a night in the park if this is on your list.

Fishing and walking

Sport fishing on Lake Shakani costs $25 per day. The Walk the Line activity is a 7km, roughly two hour morning walk with a fence attendant along the 120km fence line, part conservation story and part exercise. Community cultural experiences are also offered around the park.

Hot air balloon

The park operator lists a hot air balloon experience among its activities. Pricing is not stated on the pages available, so ask the park or your lodge to arrange it and confirm the rate directly.

Entry fee rules for multi-night stays

Children five and under are free, and children six to twelve pay roughly half. The entry fee halves for nights two and three, and is not charged from night four up to a week. If you plan two nights in Akagera before or after your trek, the saving on entry is real.

Note that the per-adult day visitor entry fee is not published on the pages available, so confirm the exact amount with the park when you book your vehicle or lodge.

Lodges, camps and campsites

Ruzizi Tented Lodge and Karenge Bush Camp sit inside the park and suit travellers who want early boat access and night drives. Wilderness Magashi and SALT of Akagera are the higher-end choices. Akagera Campsites include Muyumbu, Shakani, Mutumba and Mihindi, with firewood provided and tents hireable, though without bedding.

Staying inside the park matters for a gorilla trekker on a tight schedule. It lets you take the 7.30am boat, be at the gate by mid morning, and still reach Kigali the same day to continue toward Volcanoes National Park. Rates for the lodges are not stated on the pages available, so contact the park or lodges directly for current prices.

Seasons and your trek dates

June to September is the classic safari window in Akagera. The wet season makes some tracks slow, which is why 4x4 vehicles are recommended then. Read more on the best time to visit Uganda for gorilla trekking if your trip crosses the border.

Day by day

Day 1: leave Kigali early, enter through the Mutumba Gate, afternoon game drive, overnight in the park. Day 2: 7.30am Lake Ihema boat, optional afternoon drive or night drive, second night in the park with the entry discount. Day 3: early drive back toward Kigali, then continue north to Volcanoes, about three hours from Kigali.

Day 4: report at Kinigi for 7:00 AM briefing and trek to the gorillas. If you would rather buy the whole thing, operators sell combined itineraries. On our own site, the 1 day gorilla tours leave the Akagera days free to arrange separately, for example the 12 hour 1 Day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Tour In The Volcanoes National Park at $342 per person, or the 1 day Rwanda Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes National Park at $260 per person, both excluding the permit bought separately.

For background on the permit itself, see gorilla trekking permit, and for visa questions see Rwanda visa and the East Africa Tourist Visa, which covers both Rwanda and Uganda on one document.