Rwanda’s Classic Big Five Safari in the Land of Lakes and Savannah

Akagera National Park is Rwanda’s only savannah park and a true conservation success story. Once heavily impacted by human activity, it has been restored into a thriving wildlife ecosystem where the Big Five now roam freely.

The park is a landscape of rolling savannah plains, wetlands, lakes, and wooded hills, creating one of the most scenic safari environments in East Africa. Game drives here offer sightings of lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, and leopards, along with giraffes, zebras, hippos, and crocodiles.

One of the highlights of Akagera is the boat safari on Lake Ihema, where hippos and crocodiles dominate the waters and elephants often come to drink along the shoreline. Birdlife is also exceptional, with over 500 species recorded.

The park is located in Eastern Rwanda near the border with Tanzania and can be reached in about 2.5–3 hours from Kigali, making it ideal for short safari extensions.

Accommodation includes luxury tented camps, mid-range lodges, and community-run stays near the park.

At Roho Safaris Uganda, Akagera is often combined with Volcanoes National Park and Nyungwe Forest to create a complete Rwanda safari circuit. Akagera is proof that wilderness can be restored a modern African safari success story.