Akagera Safari Game Drive

A safari game drive is the core of any visit, and the only activity a one-day visitor needs and can be combined by other activities in Akagera National Park depending on the number of nights you are spending. This is usually in a 4x4 pop-up roof safari car, as they offer a safe way to be close to the wildlife and can weather any conditions in the park. They're rugged enough to take thorny bush routes and have all-terrain tires that help you access slippery routes when it's muddy.

For day visitors coming from Kigali, it takes up to 7 hours from the southern entrance to the northern exit if you take every loop and every lake shore, usually including a lunch break at the Lake Mihindi picnic area. Day visitors spending the night in the southern part of the park can take up to 10 hours, as they have to drive back to the south; 11 hours for those spending the night outside the park boundaries, as they too have to head back to exit using the southern entrance to get to their accommodation. For overnight visitors in the south and those in lodges at the park boundaries, the game drive can start as early as 06:00. For visitors spending the night at Karenge Bush Camp in the north, their sunrise game drive starts at 05:30 and ends at around 08:30, when they go back for breakfast. They then have the option of a short 2-hour drive and exit in the north, or a full day, 6-hour drive and exit using the southern entrance.

The southern part of the park is where most lakes are concentrated, and the vegetation is mostly woodland and acacia shrubs. Most sightings are along the lake shores and along the game drive tracks, as the vegetation can block visibility of wildlife. The northern part of the park is predominantly plains and wetlands, and it's where most wildlife, especially predators, are concentrated, with unhindered visibility.

Most visitors on a safari game drive are trying to see the famous African Big Five — lions, elephants, buffaloes, rhinos and leopards. Of the five, the leopard is the most elusive, as it's a nocturnal animal that spends most of its time in trees and blends very well into its environment, making it hard to spot even if it's just a few feet away. Other animals you see on a game drive include hippos, crocodiles, baboons, zebras, different species of antelope, and many different types of birds, of which Akagera has over 500 species. The most popula