June 23, 2025
Safari trips to Akagera National Park are getting better every day as Rwanda’s only savannah park is consistently growing her wildlife population. The latest development is the massive addition of 70 Southern White Rhinos transferred into Akagera National Park in the month of June of 2025. This one for the history books as the biggest translocation of rhinos thanks to African Parks who manage the park, and other partners including Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Munywana Conservancy, Howard G. Buffet Foundation
The 70 rhinos have been added to the 41 white rhinos already in the park, which is such a huge boost to the rhino population in Akagera National Park.
Akagera National Park has proven to be a safe haven for rhinos which are some of the most endangered big game. These 41 rhinos have been a growth from the 30 white rhinos that were introduced in the park in 2021.
Akagera National Park is arguably one of, if not the most protected park in Africa. The park has an electric wire fence that is patrolled on a daily basis. Akagera Park even offers a “walk the line” tour experience that gives tourists a chance to join the park rangers on their routine patrol of the fence to ensure it has not been breached. Other than the electric fence other technologies such as UAVs/drones are deployed for surveillance.
Other than the white rhinos, Akagera National Park also has the black rhinos, which makes it one of the few parks that have both the white and black rhino species.
Rhino sightings during safaris in Akagera park have improved a lot lately with about 50% chances of seeing them, thanks to the increasing numbers.
Now, with the addition of a whopping 70 rhinos will perhaps in the near future make Akagera National Park one of the best places to see rhinos in their natural home.
Akagera National Park - the next big game dream destination in East Africa
Akagera National Park has all the famous “big five” animals, the rhinos of course being one of them, and the other five being leopard, lion, elephant and buffalo. Like the rhinos, the lion population has grown tremendously over the last few years and sightings which were solely based on hope are now are frequent.
Other big game you will see on safari include giraffes, zebras, topis, waterbucks, oribis, and hippos among others.
As with the rhinos and lions, the population of several other wildlife in Akagera has been increasing rapidly. Akagera National Park has been recovering her status as a park worthy of a destinations to visit for safari after it was heavily affected by the past civil wars reducing her wildlife numbers to poaching. Big game like lions and rhinos became extirpated and have only been reintroduced back in recent years.
However since the government of rwanda led by President Paul Kagame restored peace and stability to the country. and the taking over of the park by the south African group “African Parks” who have done an incredible job of conservation, the park has seen tremendous strides towards recovery. It will not be too long before it becomes a destination for big game safaris in East Africa.
