Safari Overview
The 2 Days Akagera Big 5 Safari offers you a rare opportunity to enjoy a guided game drive and boat tour. Expect a sensational wildlife experience in the pristine savanna plain-dominated Akagera National Park in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. On a visit to Akagera, expect an incredible treat to a guided game drive where you embark on a search for the big 5 (black rhinos, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, & lions).
This itinerary also encompasses a boat tour experience, and the focus will be on exploring the aquatic species. Your day sightings on the Lake Ihema boat cruise experience include hippos, crocodiles, & birds. Your safari to explore Akagera’s Big 5 will begin and end in Kigali.
The Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer by road to Akagera –afternoon boat cruise tour
After the morning breakfast, expect to meet your Apex Africa professional driver guide. Exit Kigali early for Akagera National Park in the Eastern Province, and today’s journey will cover 2.5 hours. Arrive early, and you will check into the game safari lodges for relaxation in Akagera National Park.
Lunch will be provided to you after you have settled and packed your luggage. After lunch, be ready for a thrilling boat ride on the stunning Lake Ihema. As you cruise on Lake Ihema, you stand a chance to observe lots of crocodiles, hippos, and aquatic birds. The common water birds to sight here include cormorants, African jacanas, African fish eagles, and egrets.
After your boat ride experience on the natural Lake Ihema, you will be taken back to the lodge to relax. Have a longer evening at the lodge, reflect on the journey and boat cruise excursion.
Day 2: The game drive with Rwanda expert & Departure (at the airport)
Wake up a bit early to get yourself set for the sunrise game drive experience along the savanna tracks in Akagera. Drive off from the lodge with your camera ready for action-packed photography of your favorite Big 5 game, plus other species that survive in Akagera.
Beyond the Big 5, Akagera is also blessed with amazing wildlife, including the Burchell’s zebras, Maasai giraffes, plus over 11 antelope families (including roan, topis, and impalas). A range of birds will also be observed alongside several different savanna animals. After you have enjoyed a complete 2-3 hour game drive, expect to return and have an early lunch break.
Today, expect to bid farewell to Akagera and return to Kigali. Arrive early, and you will be dropped off at the hotel/settle at Kigali International Airport as you wait for your departing flight in the evening, marking the end of the 2-day Akagera Big 5 Safari.
End of Safari
What add-ons on Safari in Akagera National Park
If you happen to embark on an extended safari, expect to engage in multiple experiences beyond game drives and boat safaris. The ideal experiences worth adding to the unforgettable game drives and launch or boat cruise tours in Akagera include behind-the-scenes, hot air balloon safaris, bird-watching, and nature walks.
Should you be interested in bird watching, then search for diverse bird species that survive in the varied habitats of Akagera. Overall, Akagera contains a total of 520 bird species, comprising mainly the raptors, savanna species, aquatic species, migratory species, and more.
The likely sightings of your day birding excursion can include white-faced whistling ducks, goliath heron, African fish eagles, lesser kestrels, long-tailed cisticola, little-breasted rollers, purple herons, elusive shoebill storks, and great snipe.
During the birding tour, you also stand a chance to find bird species such as martial eagles, papyrus gonoleks, African hawk-eagles, & tawny eagles.