Birding Tours in Akagera National Park
Birding Tours in Akagera National Park Rwanda | Bird Species 2026
Akagera National Park isn’t only popular for Big 5 safaris but also for birding tours. Guided birding tours in Akagera National Park offer birders a rare chance to explore the park’s bird species in their varying habitats. Akagera is one of the best destinations when it comes to Rwanda birding safaris.
Located in Eastern Rwanda, Akagera National Park is home to over 550 bird species. These reside in the different birding sites, making it the best spot for you to find your favorite birds.
Akagera National Park is an excellent destination for bird-watching tours. The park offers bird sightings ranging from savanna species, woodlands, and aquatic species.
Bird Species in Akagera National Park
Over 550 bird species reside in Akagera National Park and include the martial eagles, African grey hornbills, African wattled plovers, papyrus gonoleks, hamerkops, African fish eagle, and African cuckoo-hawks.
Lilac-breasted rollers, squacco herons, coqui francolins, Narina trogon, African grey hornbills, lesser kestrel, Souza’s shrikes, red-faced barbets, and pearl-spotted owlets.
Akagera National Park’s cuckoo birds include Dideric Cuckoo, Klaas’s Cuckoo, African Emerald Cuckoo, Black Cuckoo, Blue-headed Coucal, White-browed Coucal, Black Coucal, Blue Malkoha, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Pied Cuckoo, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Red-chested Cuckoo, African Cuckoo, Madagascar Cuckoo, and Common Cuckoo.
Nightjar birds to explore during birding tours in Akagera: Swamp Nightjar, Freckled Nightjar, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Eurasian Nightjar, Fiery-necked Nightjar, and Square-tailed Nightjar.
The swift (Apodiformes) bird species in Akagera include the Alpine Swift, Little Swift, Mottled Swift, African Swift, Horus Swift, African Palm Swift, white-rumped swift, and Common Swifts.
The Gruiformes species include Corn Crake, Striped Crake, African Rail, African Swamphen, Black Crake, Red-knobbed Coot, Baillon’s Crake, Eurasian Moorhen, and Lesser Moorhen.
Charadriiformes species, Black-bellied Plover, Three-banded Plover, Kittlitz’s Plover, Spur-winged Lapwing, Crowned Lapwing, Brown-chested Lapwing, Wattled Lapwing, Senegal Lapwing, and common ringed plovers.
Akagera National Park is also blessed with bird species such as the marsh sandpipers, ruddy turnstone, bar-tailed Godwit, wood sandpiper, spotted redshank, common snipe, and green sandpipers.
The park also supports birds such as black-winged pratincole, Bronze-winged courser, lesser black-backed gull, Temminck’s courser, small buttonquail, African skimmers, and yellow-billed stork.
Expect to also find bird species such as the African darters, Abdim’s storks, African openbills, Great and reed cormorants, marabou storks, white storks, African woolly-necked storks, Indian pond heron, squacco herons, Gray herons, little egrets, and rufous-bellied herons.
Vulture bird species that reside in Akagera National Park include palm-nut vultures, western banded snake eagles, white-headed vultures, hooded vultures, European honey-buzzards, and more.
The Best Time to Go Birding Tours in Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park offers all year round birding tour experiences. But the ideal months to consider planning and embarking on birding in this park is during the dry months –June to September, and December to February. The off-peak months (November & April) offer you a chance to locate a variety of migratory bird species.
What to pack for Birding Tours in Akagera
Essentials to consider packing for birding in Akagera National Park include a pair of binoculars, a safari hat, a bird checklist, a camera, and comfortable clothes.
Add-ons to Birding Tours in Akagera National Park
Besides birding, Akagera National Park is also popular for game drives, boat cruises, hot air balloon experiences, and nature walks.
Game drives: These offer a rare opportunity for you to locate a diversity of wildlife in the savanna plains. Akagera National Park contains all the Big 5 game species and includes the cape buffalo, elephants, leopards, lions, and rhinos. This park also protects the diversity of plains species, including impalas, giraffes, zebras, elands, and waterbucks.
A game drive in Akagera National Park also comes with sightings of birds plus other species of animals. Visitors can opt for the normal day game drives or a rewarding night game drive.
Boat cruise; Explore Akagera’s abundant aquatic species along Lake Ihema. This exciting excursion comes with sightings of the water birds, hippos, and crocodiles.
Sport fishing –Akagera National Park is an ideal place to explore during sport fishing in Rwanda. This is best done on Lake Shakani, which comes with multiple options of fish for you to catch.
This is the prime destination to consider for sport fishing expeditions. Anglers should consider booking the fishing permits early to be allowed to engage in the Lake Shakani sport fishing experience.
Where to Stay on Birding Tours in Akagera National Park
The available lodges in Akagera comprise budget, midrange, and luxury/upmarket. They include Akagera Rhino Lodge, Akagera Game Lodge, Magashi Luxury Tented Camp, Akagera Transit Lodge, Rusizi Tented Lodge, and Dereva Hotel.
Getting to Akagera National Park for Birding Tours
Akagera National Park is only a 2.5-hour drive from Kigali. Driving is the best way to reach Akagera National Park by road, and we have a comfortable 4×4 tourist car to enable you reach the park for your birding excursion.
By air, take a flight and reach Akagera early when fully prepared for you to set off for birding expedition.