Akagera National Park Rwanda re-enforces its rules! – Rwanda Safari News

Though relatively famous, Akagera National Park Rwanda is impressively beautiful and can really offer a great day, overnight, or weekend on your Rwanda safari holiday or Rwanda trip. Akagera park has a lovely landscape that changes quite drastically as you ascend from the north to south. The relatively warm and low-lying plains of Akagera comprises of different types of vegetation including; savannah, woodland, wetland and a dozen lakes.

The rolling hills offer amazing views from the top and a very nice backdrop if you’re in the valleys. Akagera National Park is situated along the border of Tanzania at a relatively low altitude that is creatively carved with a maze of swamps that flow into the Akagera River. Visitors interested in an Africa safari in Rwanda should note that Akagera National Park combines well with Nyungwe National Park Rwanda for the best chimpanzee trekking experience in Rwanda and the best canopy walk and Volcanoes National Park Rwanda where you will enjoy a gorilla trekking safari Rwanda.

When combined in your Africa wildlife safari itinerary, the experience offers a great safari holiday and the best ultimate safari memories. Akagera National Park is home to many wild game species including elephant, buffalo, topi, zebra, waterbuck, roan antelope and eland. Other antelope is duiker, oribi, klipspringer, bushbuck, bohor reedbuck, and impalas as well as species restricted to the papyrus swamps such as the Sitatunga and the sought-after Shoebill Stork. As part of your adventure, you will also encounter primates such as olive baboons, vervets and the secretive blue monkey are seen during the day, with bush babies often seen on night drives. Of the larger predators, you are bound to see leopard, hyena, side-striped jackal and lion, which was re-introduced last year are present. Plans are also underway for the reintroduction of the black rhino too, and this will restore Akagera’s ‘Big 5’ status

Akegera National Park Rwanda rules and regulations

To ensure a pleasant and successful visit, it is essential that you adhere strictly to the regulations which are intended for your protection and enjoyment on your Rwanda safari tour.

• Akagera National Park is open to day visitors from 6am to 6pm. Day visitors must be leaving the park by 6pm. If you have not exited and we cannot get hold of you by phone we will start a search and rescue operation. If you initiate a search and rescue operation, you are liable for all costs incurred which may include vehicle(s) and or helicopter as deemed appropriate by the park management. Only vehicles authorized by Park Management may drive in the park between 18H00 and 06H00. Overnight visitors must be at their accommodation facility.
• Visitors have been restricted to remain in their vehicles unless in a designated campsite or marked picnic area. Do not wonder past the vicinity of this designated campsite, and never far from your 4x4 safari van/ 4x4 safari land cruiser (vehicle) when at unfenced campsites and picnic areas; wild animals are free to access these areas.
• Do not drive off-road, keep to the designated roads only. This is very important to avoid getting lost, making ambiguous tracks and causing damage to the vegetation. Rarely used roads may become inaccessible, do not follow mapped roads unless you can clearly see the track, and do not take roads which are not mapped.
• Rwanda safari guides and other drivers must stick to the speed limit! Most roads are single track dirt roads. Drive no faster than 40 km/h on all roads to avoid collisions with wildlife & other vehicles.
• Note that not all roads are accessible by all vehicles, and during the wet season certain roads are closed. Please consult your Rwanda safari guide, or ask at reception of your hotel of stay before your departure about roads suitable for your vehicle that time. Rain may make roads inaccessible before the park management has time to close them. Please avoid waterlogged roads to avoid getting stuck.
• Do not leave any litter, or throw any rubbish in the park. Bins are not provided to encourage visitors to take responsibility for their own waste. Please take out what you bring in and keep our park clean!
• Overnight visitors are to use designated campsites only, or a recognized overnight facility likes hotels. No bush camping.
• When camping, light fires in designated fire areas only, do not leave fire unattended and make sure fires are fully extinguished before leaving. Don’t just start any fire within fence campsites – take extreme caution!.
• Do not take out of the park any flowers, plants, rocks, wood, bones or any other natural articles you find inside the park. These are all protected within the park and play a part in the parks’ eco-system providing food, shelter and other requirements for wildlife.
• Do not feed animals inside the park. Apart from being unhealthy, feeding wild animals human food causes them to lose their natural fear of people, this is highly dangerous.
• No drones are allowed to be flown inside Akagera. Please refer to the drone policy for further details.
• Always keep the receipts of the park with you because they may be asked from you at any time.

Deliberate disregard of these rules will result in penalties and on-the-spot fines of $150.