Best Time To Visit Akagera National Park : Akagera National Park is the only location in Rwanda where one can embark on a traditional big game safari. The nation’s unique savannah habitat is preserved by the Akagera National Park in the east of the nation; the remainder of the nation is primarily made up of mountains and forests. Continue reading this article to know when the best time to visit Akagera national park is.
Thanks to African Parks, which has made sure that this is one of the most protected parks on the continent, Akagera National Park, which was once reduced to nearly a bushland where poachers had leeway due to misrule and conflicts of the past, is now on its way to becoming one of the top wildlife safari destinations in the area.
Thanks to the reintroduction of rhinos and lions, whose numbers are continuously increasing, the park now has all five of the “big five.” All animal populations in Akagera National Park are steadily growing, according to recent recurring wildlife counts. Safaris in Akagera become more thrilling every other day as one can now find a herd of elephants (previously you would be lucky to spot a solitary individual far away), and have more effectively sightings of other big game such as giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, and antelopes, among others.
As a result, visitors can anticipate an exciting big game safari experience in Rwanda that goes beyond the well-known gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in the Nyungwe Forest and the Virunga Mountains.
However, given that Akagera National Park is gradually increasing its animal population, one could wonder when is the best time to come and when is better to avoid the area.
Dry season vs Rainy Season in Akagera National Park.
There are two weather seasons in Rwanda: the dry season and the wet season, which is when you will be visiting Akagera.
Visiting Akagera during the dry season.
June through early September and December through February are the dates of the dry season.
The dry season is when most people visit Akagera National Park. The greatest time of year for a safari excursion to Akagera is during the dry season when the tracks are dry and you can cover all of the park’s routes, reaching every area to find more wildlife. You can also spend as much time as possible in the forests during the dry season without worrying about weather stopping you.
The drawback of the dry season is that the animals tend to move away from the safari paths during extremely hot months like August, into locations with more fresh grass and permanent water supplies. As a result, during some periods of the dry season especially August, which is the warmest month you might observe fewer animals.
Visiting Akagera during the wet season.
The wet season runs from March to May and late September to November. Few people like visiting Akagera National Park during the rainy season. One reason is that rainy days can ruin your time in the jungle, resulting in shorter and less fruitful safari drives. Additionally, the safari routes get muddy and occasionally become impassable, making some regions of the park inaccessible. If you are planning to visit Akagera during the wet season, you should definitely bring a reliable 4X4 safari truck. Additionally, the bushes and grass are thicker, which may make it more difficult to spot smaller animals.
However, the rainy season can be the ideal time to go to Akagera National Park. During the rainy season, the scenery is dreamlike and the thick foliage is amazing.
During the rainy season, animals are more likely to be found near the safari paths. There is enough water in the pools spread across the park, so they haven’t gone any closer to the inaccessible water sources. Even though the rain will make some areas of the park inaccessible, it may also make it easier to find some of the larger animals than it would be during very hot spells during the dry season.
Is there a time to avoid Akagera National Park?
There is seldom a moment when visiting Akagera National Park that one does not witness an abundance of wildlife or fail to take in the views of the savannah. You won’t be dissatisfied unless you attempt to contrast Akagera with the best safari locations in the area, including Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, Tanzania’s Serengeti, or Uganda’s Murchison Falls Park. Although Akagera is still in recovery, it is moving quite quickly and will soon catch up. Do not go to Akagera if you have already visited any of these well-known reserves in East Africa and would like to add to your experience. If you do go, though, please be open-minded and enjoy the wilderness because Akagera’s potential for a large number of species more than makes up for its breathtaking beauty.
If you are put off by exceptionally warm weather, you might want to reconsider going on a safari excursion to Akagera in August. April is the wettest month of the rainy season, so if you’re not prepared to deal with almost daily torrential downpours, steer clear of the month.
