The giraffe area loop in Akagera national park located in eastern part of Rwanda is a 13 km drive. It is an hour stretch of wildlife viewing drive north turn at lone tree lookout turnoff on the left side, and proceed in the down valley. Follow the road after which the vegetation changes from acacia thickets in to flat, more open grasslands where you might see giraffes and buffaloes plus other games. The giraffe area loop extends to the dam looking out for waterfowl. A short drive in the giraffe area loop will make you spot a number of bird species and plain game if you are short on time.

While on your safari in Akagera national park in Rwanda, use this opportunity and drive Rurama loop taking you to the lake Ihema shores to see warthogs, bush bucks, hippos, crocodiles and warthogs not forgetting some different bird species such as jacanas, sandpipers, hawks, herons, malachite kingfishers, plovers and many others.

Akagera national park with its forested fringed lakes, savannah plains, papyrus swamps and rolling highlands all combine to make Akagera national park be among the most attractive biodiversity reserve in Africa. Reaching Akagera national park takes you about 2 hours from Kigali which is the capital city of Rwanda. Akagera national park covers an area of 1,112 sq.km along the international border with Tanzania. The park is a home to over 525 different bird species, 11 antelope species like topis, bushbucks, roan antelope, duiker, impala, oribis, water – buck, klipspringer not forgetting the world largest antelope – the cape eland, Big 5 animals as well as other wildlife such as giraffes, zebras, hyenas and warthogs among others.

Akagera national park was gazzetted in 1934 and it’s the largest national park in Rwanda. Akagera national park has a lot of animals such as elephants, black rhino, lions, buffaloes, hippos, giraffes, leopard, zebra, hyena, antelopes and crocodiles to mention but a few. There are about 80 elephants in the park that always congregate around Lake Ihema that is inhabited by more than 800 hippos as well as crocodiles.

Akagera national park is a beautiful park to have a piece of mind in the wild seeing animals and different bird species. The park does not have all animals but they can be found somewhere else such as gorillas and golden monkeys in volcanoes national park, colobus monkeys and chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park.

Because of its big space, Akagera national park is an ornithological site with over 5252 bird species. The park is a home to the rare and elusive shoe bill and other birds such as papyrus gonolek and many other water birds that live in the wetlands in big numbers.

Rwanda is indeed the best destination in Africa giving visitors great luxury safari experiences among which include the most exciting Rwanda gorilla safaris in volcanoes national park in the northwest of the country as well as golden monkey trekking. There is also Nyungwe forest national park famous for chimpanzee trekking safaris, canopy walks as well as colobus monkey trekking and lastly the newly gazetted Gishwati Mukura national park known for primate watching