Rwanda's only savannah park, on the Tanzanian border, and the story of its recovery is the reason to go. Lion were reintroduced in 2015 and rhino in 2017, so Akagera is a Big Five park again after decades without. Lakes and papyrus swamps make up a third of it, so boat trips sit alongside game drives.
Every one of these is something we run here, not a stock list.
Prices are per person and include your vehicle, guide, park fees and accommodation. Every one of these can be changed — they are starting points.
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Akagera National Park, located in eastern Rwanda, is a diverse and scenic park known for its mix of savannah, wetlands, and lakes. Covering around 1,122 square kilometers, it is home to the Big Five—lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo—thanks to successful conservation efforts. The park also boasts a variety of antelope species, hippos, and over 480 bird species, including the rare shoebill stork. Lake Ihema, one of the park's highlights, provides opportunities for boat safaris, offering visitors a unique wildlife viewing experience in a peaceful, watery landscape.
Most safaris here combine two or three of these.
Five volcanoes on the Rwandan side of the Virungas, and the forest Dian Fossey worked in for eighteen years. Gorilla trekking here is shorter and better organised than almost anywhere — Kigali is two and a half hours away by road, which means you can land, trek and fly home inside three days.
One of the oldest rainforests in Africa, and a canopy walkway a hundred metres above the forest floor to see it from. Thirteen primate species live here, including chimpanzees and troops of several hundred Angolan colobus — the largest arboreal primate groups anywhere.
The memorial is where more than 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi are buried. It is not a sight to tick off; it is a couple of hours that will change how you understand everything else you see in Rwanda. Most visitors go on their first morning, before heading for the gorillas.
Kigali surprises people: clean, green, laid out over a dozen hills and genuinely safe to walk at night. It is where every Rwandan trip starts and ends, and it is worth a day rather than a transfer — markets, a serious coffee scene, art co-operatives and some of the best restaurants in the region.
Tell us roughly when you can travel and how long you have. We will tell you honestly whether Akagera National Park is the right call for those dates — and what it costs.
