Akagera National park safari with a driver guide over self-drive.
Akagera National park is located in the north eastern part of Rwanda along the border with Tanzania. It is one of Africa’s oldest national parks first gazetted in 1934, covers approximately 1,120 square kilometers characterized by woodlands, papyrus swamps, low mountains, savannah plains among others.
The park was named after Akagera river that flows along its eastern boundaries feeding into Lake Ihema and other small lakes in and around the park. Akagera National park is the only savannah park in Rwanda where you can sight a variety of mammal species including elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, hyenas, zebras, leopards, lions, hippopotamus, antelopes like oribis, topis, duikers, impalas and many bird species including giant king fisher, African open bill stock, grey crowned crane among others.
The main activities to do in Akagera National park are game drives, bird watching, boat trips on Lake Ihema, sport fishing in Lake Shakani and cultural tours near the park.
Reasons for hiring a car with driver 0ver self-drive to Akagera National park.
Akagera National park can be accessed by self-drive or hiring a car with a driver guide from Kigali city but there are various reasons as to why hiring car with a driver is a better option over self-drive.
Proper directions and location of the park.
With a driver guide you easily locate the Akagera National park with proper directions and good timing for the game drive. The driver is aware of the time for each of the activities in the park, so no need to wait for so long or arriving late for the activities unlike on self-drive.
Proper wildlife viewing.
It is always better to have a driver guide to take you for game viewing in Akagera National park so as to enjoy your trip and take the photos and videos of the wildlife. It tends to be hard when you are on self-drive since you concentrate a lot on the road and less concentration on wildlife. Another thing the driver guides tend to know the tracks for most of the wildlife when they reach the park so the wildlife is easily located compared to self-drive.
This also gives you the opportunity to learn different animal behaviors and identifications when you hire a car with driver because they are always professional and knowledgeable.
Time management.
Hiring car with driver will save you a lot of time in case you are not familiar with the distances and location of the park. It is approximately 2 hours from Kigali to Akagera National park, it may take you more time to reach the park because you may take wrong routes due to GPS and poor internet on the road. Hiring a driver becomes better option over self-drive.
Language barrier.
Language is the basic tool of communication, traveling with a person who knows the local language is an added advantage since you may need to have a lot of information and facts from the local communities. Not all the people know English which may be the easiest language for the you.
Knowledge of the country and Akagera National park.
Since the guest is not familiar with Rwanda and Akagera National park in particular it is better to hire driver who knows the country and the park.
Driver guides are always knowledgeable about where to eat, sleep, seek medical assistances, access money in case you need money on you among others. They will always save you a hustle of finding out where to get all these basic services.
Liability in case of any injuries or accidents.
When you go for a game drive with a driver guide, you transfer all the liability to the company. In case of an accident in the park or damages to the car you are not held liable unlike when you are on self-drive.
Safety purposes.
It feels safe to travel to Akagera National park for a game drive with a drive guide because they know how to handle animals especially the big five mammals in case they charge after seeing human beings around the park. Elephants are the most dangerous and heaviest animals in Akagera National park. They can run over a car in case they sense danger or noise from the engines, so the driver guides know all these tactics and the knowledge unlike on self-drive.
Better photography and videography.
Having a driver guide on your game drive helps you to capture the memorable and beautiful pictures Akagera National park and the wild life by utilizing the popup while they are driving you.
You cannot have chance to capture those moments in the wild with the wild animals if you are on self-drive because you tend to concentrate on the road and miss out the moments.
The lay of the land and the road signs.
The nature of terrain will affect you if you do not have a driver. This includes the elevations, slopes, the mountainous and hilly areas because when on self-drive you are not aware of the nature of the roads to the park and the road signs. The driver guides know where there are steep hills, where to overtake and when to drive at a low speed given the nature of the area.
Program guide in the park/park rules and regulations.
A safari with a driver will reduce your negligence in the park which can earn you fines when you do not follow the park rules and regulations. For example, littering in the park, horn halting, off tracking, over speeding, noise in the park which scares away the wild life unlike on self-drive where you pay park entry and think you can do anything in the park and take pictures from anywhere. Most of the guests on self -drive do not respect park rules and regulations.
In conclusion, the internet is a very resourceful tool but what happens when you are in a place where there is no internet access? You are left to rely on your instincts, this can be solved by hiring a driver guide on your trip to Akagera National park for a game drive.
Where never you hire a driver guide, you are assured of great tips and hidden destinations that you rarely find on your own or on the Google maps.
In other words, your role is to ask questions as you explore with the professional driver guide on the unbeaten path of Akagera National park.
How to Reach Akagera national Park
You can reach akagera National Park by road on self- drive or Car hire with a driver. With self- drive, 4×4 Rentals Uganda will hire you a car and then drive your self or you can Rent a car with a driver and you just sit to enjoy the journey.
How about public Transport?
While on your safari to Akagera national Park, we expect you to do game drives in the park to see a variety of animals, birds, relief features, Drainage features, Vegetation among others. For that can, you need to hire a car from 4×4 Rentals Uganda.
