Akagera National Park Game Drive from Kigali: Lions & Rhinos

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/21

Duration13h–15h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Five Hours into Akagera, the Radio Crackles with a Lion Sighting

You leave Kigali at 05h00 and drive 3.5 hours to Akagera National Park, where you spend the day on a game drive with a local guide in a 4x4 with WiFi. You get a packed lunch, views of elephants, giraffes, zebras, and a chance at lions or black rhinos, though sightings aren't certain. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Kigali are included, and you're back in the city by late afternoon.

13h–15h

Step-by-step itinerary

Kigali to Akagera National Park game drive

Depart Kigali at 05h00
Drive 3.5 hours to Imigongo Art Center
Stop at Imigongo Art Center for 15 minutes
Continue to Akagera National Park
Register and pick up packed picnic lunch
Spend day game driving in Akagera National Park
Depart Akagera late afternoon back to Kigali

The Experience

The 05h00 pickup from your Kigali hotel comes early enough that you're still half-asleep when the 4x4 rolls up, and honestly, the first hour of the drive blurs a bit. But somewhere around the Imigongo Art Center stop — about halfway to Akagera National Park — you wake up properly. There's time to stretch, use the washroom, and if you want, grab a coffee or quick breakfast (the staff there will pack it for takeaway if you're the type who eats on the move). The landscape starts changing after that, and by 08h30, you're at the park entrance, registration done, packed lunch loaded, and ready to spend the rest of the day looking for animals.

Your driver-guide from Countryside Tours-Rwanda knows where to go, and the 4x4 — you pick between a pop-up roof safari vehicle, a non-pop-up SUV, or a Toyota Rav4 — handles the park roads without fuss. Akagera has buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, zebras, impalas, and birds you'll see without trying. The black rhinos and lions were gone for a long time; they've been restocked in recent years, so sightings aren't guaranteed, especially the rhinos — they hide. But the lakes are there, the landscape opens up, and the whole day moves at the pace of what you find, not what the itinerary says you should find. WiFi is onboard if you need to send a message home, though some spots in the park drop signal, so don't count on it for streaming.

You eat the packed lunch somewhere in the park — Akagera Transit Lodge provides it — and the day stretches until late afternoon, when you head back to Kigali. It's a long drive both ways, but the early start means you're not arriving back in the city at midnight. Bring a reusable water bottle; single-use plastic is no longer allowed in the park, and you'll want water anyway.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup and drop-off anywhere in Kigali city or from Kigali International Airport, a driver-guide employed by Countryside Tours-Rwanda, a choice of 4x4 vehicle (pop-up or non-pop-up roof SUV, Toyota Rav4 4WD or similar), WiFi onboard, a packed picnic lunch from Akagera Transit Lodge, drinking water in reusable bottles, and entry to Akagera National Park.
A stop at the Imigongo Art Center for stretching and washroom use is included; coffee, breakfast, or other purchases there are optional and at your own cost.
A boat ride on Ihema Lake can be added separately.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Countryside Tours-Rwanda

Is this one for you?Book this if you want a full day of wildlife viewing without arranging your own transport, park entry, or food — the early start and fixed schedule pack the main Akagera experience into one trip from Kigali, and the local guide knows where animals tend to be.