Akagera National Park is Rwanda’s savannah gem — a 1,122 km² park on the Tanzania border that was recently restocked with lion (reintroduced 2015) and black rhino (reintroduced 2017), making it the only Rwanda park with the Big Five. The Akagera self-drive circuit covers the Akagera River floodplain and Lake Ihema shores — hippo, crocodile, elephant, buffalo, and the shoebill stork in a landscape completely unlike Volcanoes or Nyungwe.
Circuit Overview
- Duration: 2 days / 1 night
- Distance: Kigali – Akagera – Kigali, approx 320 km total
- Vehicle: Toyota Prado or Land Cruiser
- Park fee: Approximately USD 40/person/day (2027/2028)
- Best timing: June–October (dry season, best game drive conditions)
Day-by-Day Route
Day 1: Kigali to Akagera (160 km, 3 hours via RN4). Afternoon game drive — Lake Ihema hippo cruise (optional boat trip from the lodge). Overnight Akagera Game Lodge or Ruzizi Tented Lodge.
Day 2: Dawn game drive — lion and rhino territory in the northern sector. Depart by 10 am, return Kigali by 1 pm.