Eastern Rwanda
Akagera Game Lodge
Situated within the Akagera National Park, the Akagera Game Lodge is a three hour drive from the town of Kilgadi on both tarmacked and dirt roads, and has recently been refurbished to a high standard. The property is more a traditional hotel than a safari lodge but is situated in an ideal location for exploring the national park and affords good views of Lake Ihema as well as the nearby plains.
Facilities include a swimming pool, restaurant, tennis court and well-stocked bar. The large restaurant serves a variety of national and international dishes and extends out to an open deck where meals can be enjoyed al fresco. There are a range of room types including standard double and twins, suites and cottages – all designed in typical African safari style with comfortable beds and artistic furnishings. There is a small waterhole providing an extra game watching opportunity.
Akagera is a beautiful patchwork of rolling grasslands, thick forest, wetlands and acacia thickets. Large game including elephants and buffalo are commonly seen. The prehistoric-looking shoebill stork is a feature bird of the papyrus wetlands of Akagera.
Game drives operate from the lodge and boat safaris through the wetlands are a great way to see some of the park’s more elusive birdlife.
Facilities
Restaurant, swimming pool, tennis court, lounge, bar, lounge, TV and Wi-Fi.
Local Wildlife
Once ravaged by poaching, the wildlife at Akagera is making a valiant comeback. Large game including elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo, zebra, impala, oribi, tessebe and Nile crocodile can now be seen. Lions also occur in the park but inhabit the more inaccessible areas, and the beautiful but secretive sitatunga antelope is also occasionally seen in the wetlands. The diverse habitats of the park also make it an excellent birding site with African fish eagle, crowned crane and open-billed stork all common sightings in the wetlands. With luck the menacing looking shoebill stork can be seen stalking the papyrus wetlands.
Optional Activities
Game drives and boat safaris.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
Make sure you take an early morning boat safari through the wetlands for the best chance to see the shoebill stork.
If you have any questions regarding our Rwanda tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
This is just a quick… note to tell you what a fabulous time we had in Rwanda with Janice Booth. We have been to some stunning places before (many of them through you), but Rwanda captivated us in so many different ways that it beats the lot! We expected, of course, to he wowed by the gorillas – but they managed to exceed our expectations. To be so close to such awesome creatures in the wild is not an experience we are likely to forget. What really took us by surprise was the warmth of the welcome that we received from the people…The country itself is beautiful…so much diversity…Janice was terrific and [the local guide] was delightful. We could not have asked for a better team.