In May of 2017, I researched, taught english, volunteered, and explored in the country of Rwanda. For more on my trip you can visit the blog post: Rwandering Around & Rw: Life apart from a life apart from a life
Today, I went to Akagera National Park. A few friends and I, along with a tour guide drove the entire park and got to admire the mountains of Tanzania across the 10 park lakes throughout the day. Half of the park is mountainous, which is in abundance here in Rwanda- The Land of a Thousand Hills. And the other half is great plains filled with Pumbas and Simbas. Some of the animals you can see at Akagera are:
aardvarks, lions, black rhinos, black mumbo snakes (eeeek!), hippopotami, buffalo, elephants, giraffes, storks, zebras, baboons, and a thousand varieties of antelope, just to name a few. As we entered the gate to the park, the guide asked us our favorite animals and I said a giraffe. About two minutes later, a herd came up to my window– it was fate!! Giraffes are very curious animals so you can get quite close to them. They also like to pose for the camera and make the cutest doe-eyes so get your cameras ready. The many giraffe encounters were definitely the highlight of my day. The following is a compiled list of my tips and reminders that could make your potential trip to Akagera run pleasantly:
1) You need a large vehicle because there are no roads in the entire park and the trail gets extremely muddy. I would recommend an open jeep or one of the safari vehicles at the park (even if it is a little pricier- it is worth it). You are in the car all day, save a few picnic areas, and it makes you feel disconnected if you have windows blocking your view.
2) The roads are VERY bumpy- but what did you expect? This is a safari, not Disneyland.
3) You need to save a spot in the car for a guide- which is mandatory at the park. But this is very welcomed because they are expertly trained and very knowledgeable. The guides know every kind of bird and animal and their lifestyle. Our guide, Leo, was an expert animal-spotter and told us a ton of fun stories about animals he knew personally.
4) Bring binoculars. This is self- explanatory.
5) Bring food because there are no restaurants or anything of the sort (again- not Disneyland).
6) Be courteous and do not litter. Rwanda does a beautiful job of keeping their countryside litter-free so foreigners and expats need to keep their end of the bargain.
7) The horse flies are HUGE and bite a ton so wear bug spray but don’t get too caught up in swatting the flies or you might miss a lion crouching in the brush in front of you. I am told that the flies do not carry diseases and Akagera does not have a large mosquito population so some DEET should be fine.
8) If you want nice quality pictures, bring a camera with a nice zoom. Believe me, binoculars+iPhone does not = an artsy picture.
9) Give your self plenty of daylight hours for a day trip. Plan for around 8.5 hours.
10) Buffalos are cage-y so don’t get too close or stare at them too long. When they start making circle movements with their heads, they are communicating that they don’t like your presence.
That being said, Akagera is loads of fun, beautiful, and inexpensive. If you have always dreamed of taking a safari but do not have the cash to shell out thousands in South Africa or Tanzania, Rwanda’s Akkagera is the place for you. The guides do not track the animals here for the animals-sake so any animals you see are just by chance. Akagera is extremely big and by no means teaming with animals so there is a chance you may not see all the animals you have hoped for. We saw just about everything. Even when there were no big animals in sight, there were always brilliant colored birds and termite mounds to keep you intrigued. Families of baboons would jump out of nowhere so you should always be on your toes. The lion population dwindled after the genocide. Many people came back from exile in Tanzania and Kenya to inhabit the park. They brought their cattle and found that one-by-one, their cows were picked off my lion prides. Farmers retaliated on the lions until there were almost none left. The number is slowly increasing but there is not a likely chance to see them.
In other news, five black rhinos were introduced a week from my visit (May 2017). Akagera is certainly upcoming and they do a great job in conservation works and giving back to the local population. I highly recommend this affordable day trip from Kigali.
