Wilderness Safaris Rwanda. Luxury Rwanda Wildlife Safaris

Wilderness Safaris Rwanda

Rwanda Wildlife: The “Big Five” (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino) and Rwanda’s various monkeys are the country’s most famous wildlife attractions. Akagera National Park is home to all five. The mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park are well-known, but the chimpanzees and other primates of Nyungwe Forest National Park are even more impressive.

Rwanda has protected a wide variety of animals by establishing and maintaining a network of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. You can see the country’s wildlife in all its diversity in these protected areas. From the enigmatic mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park to the Big Five in Akagera National Park, the Rwanda wilderness provides adventure safaris that are exhilarating and memorable.

Rwanda is home to several national parks and sanctuaries where tourists can marvel at the country’s rich wildlife populations and beautiful landscapes. As an example, most tourists go to Volcanoes National Park to see the mountain gorillas, which are a threatened species. The Big Five—lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards, and rhinoceroses—and a plethora of other game creatures call Akagera National Park home. What makes Rwanda’s national parks and animal sanctuaries so special, according to one tourist, is their uniqueness. You should not miss these activities, which range from going on a trip with mountain gorillas to going on a game drive in the hopes of seeing the Big Five.

For nature lovers and adventure seekers alike, visiting national parks and wildlife sanctuaries is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with exotic creatures, stunning scenery, and some of the most extraordinary species on Earth.

Rwanda’s Wildlife suffered a lot during the 1994 genocide and the war nearly destroyed this park and now it has been reborn to magnificence. Akagera National Park was badly degraded by poachers, settlers, and the battle between the Rwandan Army and the Rwandan Patriotic Front between 1990 and 1994.

In the aftermath of the war, as most of Akagera National Park staff had either left the country or been killed little was done to protect the park. Researchers and conservationists were not in place to conserve the park’s wildlife.

Poachers and settlers put a lot of pressure on the park and iconic animals like the lions and rhinos disappeared in a few short years with the possible extinction of up to a million wild species.  Poachers infiltrated the park and some species were eradicated resulting that lions that had over 300 counts being gone by 2002.

By 2010, Akagera National Park was almost disappearing, Thanks to innovative conservation efforts the park is now home to the Big Five and a growing tourism hub. In 2009, the Rwandan Government called in a nonprofit partner the African Parks, and launched an ambitious program to rehab Akagera National Park. Wildlife was brought into the park and lucky enough the animals adapted and numbers started to rise steadily. Akagera National Park is positioned in a very diverse topography ranging from open savannah in the north to the rolling hills of forest in the south with wetlands that inhabit birds and hippos. Though other wildlife parks in East Africa have large crowds of wild animals Akagera National Park is one of the closest wilderness to the National Airport in Kigali. Today, on a Rwanda wildlife tour, tourists can see the Big Five which are lions, rhino buffaloes, leopards, and elephants. Other animals include the Cape eland, warthogs, giraffes, impalas, and zebras seen grazing through the scenic park in almost all directions.

Wildlife in Rwanda includes the Mountain Gorillas of Volcanoes National Park and the chimpanzees of Nyungwe Forest National Park. Akagera National Park is a Big Five game destination and these are Buffaloes, Rhinos, Lions, Leopards, and Elephants. This is the perfect place to see these Big Five because they are in a single park unlike many of the neighboring countries whereby seeing all of these sought-after species you visit several parks. To note is that elephants and buffaloes are common but the lions and rhinos are rare and sightings are more of a hit and miss. Leopards are shy but you might be lucky to spot them either in the early mornings or the late afternoon. Other animals/fauna in Rwanda include primates like the Ruwenzori colobus arboreal monkeys which have the highest primate troop in Africa of about 400 individuals. The Eastern tree hyrax, Delany’s swamp mice, I’Hoest’s monkey, owl-faced monkey, armored shrew, African golden cat, South African galago, African clawless otter, Burchell’s zebra, hippopotamus, impala, and guereza are part of the fauna in Rwanda.

Taking a Wilderness safari in Rwanda at the best time is the perfect way of having an incredible safari. The best time to visit Rwanda for a wildlife safari is during the months of June to September and Late December to February which are the long and short dry seasons respectively. This is the best time for wildlife viewing in Akagera National Park and the generally best time for visiting Rwanda. However, it’s a bit different for Chimpanzee trekking where the best time is during part of the wet season which is from October to November when the chimpanzees do not walk for long distances.

Rwanda is in Africa some people think this part of the world is generally warm or even unbearably hot but it is not so as the country experiences both warm and cool temperatures. To have any African safari your list of what to wear should be one that will keep you comfortable and yet smart for each kind of activity. Having considered the most recommended selection of what to wear on an African wildlife safari, here is an ultimate packing list;

• Clothes to wear; Neutral color clothes: While on a wildlife safari in Rwanda, you will have to take game drives to view wildlife. Wear clothing that is comfortable with colors that blend with the wild. Neutral color clothing is most recommendable and these include clothes with colors like khaki, taupe, beige, and grey. Bright-colored clothing like Black and dark blue attract tsetse flies. The red-colored clothing is also in most cases identified by predators as wounded animals. White clothes might end up becoming brown with dust, especially during the dry season. Suitable attires: For each safari activity there is something suitable. With the neutral colors, pants and shirts are comfortable for a game drive since you spend the game drive inside the safari vehicle. Remember to pack light clothing during the rainy season, however, you should also carry shorts for the evenings and sweaters for early morning game drives. Game drives start early morning and therefore a sweater and scarf are recommendable to keep you warm. Cotton is the best fabric for t-shirts such that it is easy to do laundry.  A light and yet very warm jacket is recommendable for any time of the year.
• Footwear/shoes; Wear comfortable safari shoes for game drives. Since you spend most of the time in the safari vehicle, wear sandals or flip-flops that will keep you comfortable during the game drive. Walking shoes are the best to wear just in case you may have to walk, it’s hard to walk in the jungle with sandals. 
• Hand gloves and hat; If you do not like having cold hands, wear hand gloves to keep your hands warm.  Hand gloves come in handy during the wet or rainy season and early morning when it’s cold. A hat will help protect your head from the scorching sun during the Afternoon in case you have the game drive till late. 
• Backpack; You need to carry a small backpack that you carry along with you most of the time during a Rwanda Tour and this is the same for the game drive. In your backpack, put in all of your essentials including gadgets, insect repellent, lip balm, and all you need and use frequently. Rwanda wildlife tours even with the fact that they are contributing to the development of tourism in Rwanda may not be the ultimate Africa wildlife safaris but very amazing. If you would want to view wildlife in a very picturesque setting, Rwanda is the main drawcard.