Akagera

Why go

Lions and black rhino have been brought back. The park is not a substitute for Volcanoes National Park, and a gorilla permit is not part of an Akagera stay.

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  Plains, not forest

  Game drives, a boat on Lake Ihema, and a long list of birds. The big animals are on the open ground and at the water, not on a mountain trail.

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  How it fits a Rwanda trip

  Two nights is a proper look. One night only proves you drove there. Most people still come for the gorillas and treat Akagera as the second park.

Where to go

• AkageraThe park itself, a few hours' drive east of Kigali. Sleep inside or on the edge so the morning drive is not spent on the road.
• VolcanoesThe gorilla park in the north-west. Do not drop a night there to squeeze Akagera in if the permit morning would then start with a 4 a.m. transfer.

When to go

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  June to September

  The drier months. The grass is shorter and the lakeside game is easier to see. These are also the months when gorilla permits are hardest to get, so book the trek first.

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  December to February

  A second drier window. Warm, and still a sensible time to combine the two parks.

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  The rains

  April, May, and the short rains turn the park green. Tracks can be slow. The wildlife does not leave.

Travel advice

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  Health

  Akagera is lower and warmer than Kigali, and it is a malaria area. See a clinic. The gorilla highlands are a separate question.

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  Time

  The drive from Kigali is the easy way in. Do not land and try to do Akagera and a gorilla trek on the same day.

Accommodation

Costs