Akagera National Park lies on the eastern border of Rwanda with Tanzania. This scenic low-lying park is Central Africa’s largest protected wetland. It's also the last refuge for savannah-adapted species in Rwanda. It stretches across a vast expanse of low-lying mountains and savannah plains. So it offers an interesting contrast to the mountainous forest reserves of the Volcanoes and Nyungwe. The park takes in the rolling highlands woodlands, a labyrinth of swamps and lakes, and the wetlands of the Kagera River. (Indeed, the Akagera ultimately joins the Nile to become part of the longest river in the world.)

Akagera is home to healthy populations of buffalo and elephant, zebra and giraffe. Predators prowl through the cover of its acacia groves. But you’ll share the roads with virtually no other vehicles.

As well as game drives, you can also enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Ihema. This is a great way to see some of the hippo pods. Look out for the huge Nile crocodiles that wallow in the park’s watery regions. Birders will enjoy park’s abundant water-birds including breeding colonies of noisy, and somewhat smelly, cormorants and open-billed storks.

Bursting with a rich biodiversity, Akagera features a variety of rare species, as well as plenty of general game and hundreds of bird species.