One-day Akagera National Park Game Drive With A Choice 4x4

This was an incredible experience made better by my guide, Bosco. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and took time to make sure I could see and photograph as many animals as possible. Highly recommend!

Kevin’s wildlife knowledge is exceptional. He spotted animals from remarkable distances with nothing but his bare eyes, then got us up close to some truly majestic wildlife, closer than I ever expected on a game drive. He tracked and identified Big Five species with a skill that clearly comes from real experience, and paired every sighting with sharp commentary on the park’s ecology and history that made the whole day richer. He was also incredibly accommodating, going well out of his way to help me find the Big Five. What turned into a nearly 16-hour day (solo, just me and Kevin) never felt long or unsafe — his driving was careful, his pacing thoughtful, and he communicated clearly the whole way through. One tip for future visitors: don’t skip Lake Ihema. It’s a highlight of the park and easy to underrate if you’re focused only on the Big Five. If you’re visiting Akagera, request Kevin. I’ll be recommending this tour company — and him specifically — to anyone heading to Rwanda.

Jean Paul was an excellent tour guide and driver. He even helped me charge my phone when it died, which allowed me to photograph all the animals we encountered. The park rangers at the reception were also very accommodating. 10/10 service for all.

This was one of the best safari trips I’ve ever done. My tour guard, Kevin was amazing! Saw all the big 5 because he really wanted me to have the best experience. His vibes were just great!

We had a wonderful safari! Our driver, Jean Paul, was friendly, informative, and made the long day everything we wanted it to be! He worked very hard to find our favorite animals and we saw all of the Big 5 except the leopard, which we knew was a long shot anyway. The drive was comfortable, the lunch was nice, and the views in AKAGERA National Park were extraordinary.

We spend the day with Kevin and celebrated my sons birtday together. It was truly an experience of a lifetime which we will never forget. Kevin was extraordinarily kind, attentive and informative as well as very child-friendly. We spotted so many animals together and the ride was so joyful. Thank you so much.

Countryside tours in Rwanda with our driver Kevin was the absolute best. The ride to the park was filled with good sights of Kigali and the surrounding area and Kevin educated us along the way. Inside the park Kevin is very knowledgeable of the vast landscape and was able to show us 4 of the " big 5" , (the leopard remained elusive) along with many other animals . It was a delight

We had a fantastic experience with Countryside Tours. Olivier was very helpful in answering questions and getting things booked via WhatsApp. For the tour itself, we had the excellent Kevin as our driver / guide. He arrived promptly for a smooth pickup and did a fantastic job over a very long day. He managed time perfectly to maximise our experience and get us to the airport in time. He also did an excellent job of spotting wildlife through the day and we were very impressed his incredible eyesight! Thanks for a wonderful day trip!

My guide today was Jean Paul, and I had an amazing time on this safari, better than I could have imagined. First off, make sure to get the pop-up roof, it made the entire experience being able to see the animals and nature so clearly. The boat tour was also very fun, and I was able to see crocodiles (or alligators, I forget the difference), hippos, elephants, baboobs, zebras, and others just from the boat! Let alone the rest of the Game drive. Jean Paul was very knowledgeable about the history of Akegera and the area, as well as the animals we saw. It felt like a great balance of peaceful and quiet serenity, with many moments of excitement and visually tracking down animals. Definitely recommend a guide in this way because they are always in contact with the other guides to find out who saw what and where that day. Thanks again!

Kevin was AMAZING ! He took so much time to explain everything to me about the wildlife of every animal ! Due to bad weather I could not do the boat trip so he also asked the park and the company to refund me which shows his ethics and values. He is so passionate about what he does and he's definitely the perfect guide for your excursion !

Our guide, Kevin, with Countyside Tours is an animal whisperer! We were up close and personal with elephants, lions, zebras, rhinos, giraffes, hippos and more! He is a wonderful guide who knows how and where to spot the more elusive critters. Some of the highlights include lions approaching a mixed herd of prey, bull elephants sparring, and a big daddy bull elephant coming to the lake edge to hydrate! Our group included three women from the USA. We loved the entire safari experience and service we received. Beyond the animals, Kevin stopped at a great coffee shop/pizzaria/souvenir shop on the way to and from the park; talked to us about some of the villages we passed through, and was all around knowledgeable and friendly. Yes, it’s a bumpy road but you’re in a national park, it should be expected. Highly recommend the hour boat tour add on. The bagged lunch was meh. I recommend grabbing something from your hotel or the coffee shop on the way.

What an incredible trek through the park! Isaac was a great guide; he could spot animals at a great distance and get us close to have a look. The boat tour was a great addition: crocodiles, hippos, and a huge variety of birds. Everyone at the park took the time to be friendly, as well as informative. The tour company did a great job keeping me informed and answering questions. Really a lot of fun!

Great national park! Our driver/guide Kevin was wonderful and knowledgeable. Vehicle had popped top and plenty of tech to keep you charged and photo ready. Saw 4 or the big 5 plus a plethora of other animals.

Kevin was an exceptional safari guide. He was really good at spotting the animals and he was communicating with the other guides about where the animals were located. He went above and beyond to ensure we had the best possible wildlife sightings, adjusting plans, timing, and routes. It was clear that he cared deeply about our experience and took great pride in sharing his knowledge and passion for the animals and landscape.

My trip to the park with Kevin the guide was very excellent and memorable. He is very attentive, polite, patient, professional and a gentleman he made me feel comfortable and relaxed all the time.

We had an amazing two-day trip with Countryside Tours, including a safari and a visit to Lake Kivu. Everything was perfectly organized, and we felt very well taken care of throughout the journey. Our driver, Kevin, was absolutely outstanding – friendly, knowledgeable, and always made sure we were comfortable and safe. Thanks to him, we learned a lot and truly enjoyed every moment. Highly recommended!

Excellent day tour of Akagera park. Possibly once-in-a-lifetime, completely worth it if you have the opportunity. Our guide and driver Kevin was highly professional, informative, personalble and had a positive attitude, and just being "real". He had a skill for spotting animals even while driving the huge park. We saw elephants, giraffes, nile crocs, hippo, warthogs, antelope, babbon, gazelles, bush babies(?) , many birds, white rhino, and an elusive black rhino. We also took the 1hr boat, very glad we did, also a good break from the SUV. Park staff also were friendly. Pickup from our Kigali hotel was right on time and easy. Pre-trip communications were easy and accurate via Whatsapp with Countryside Tours. Would do again, and highly recommend.

I had a wonderful experience on this tour! My tour guide/driver was Kevin and he was very respectful, kind, a great driver, and amazing at spotting animals! We saw elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippos, rhinos, monkeys, buffalo, beautiful birds, and more. I highly recommend booking this tour and going with Kevin!

Had an amazing experience! The sights were incredible, and Kevin made the whole trip unforgettable. He was friendly, and made sure didn’t miss a thing. Highly recommend it!

The tour to Akagera was amazing, best day of my life. I can’t thank Kevin enough. He was super friendly, fun, and made sure we saw all the animals. Everything was super well organized and on time, which made the whole experience even better. I 100% recommend this tour, you won’t regret it

Very good solo tour. Everything promised, delivered. Great communication beforehand with additional help. The tourguide is one of the best I've ever had. Young man who deserves the best! Thank you Kevin for spotting all the animals, telling me about Rwanda and taking very good care of me for the last 13 hours. You are super-nice who deserves all the best ❤️

Abu was our guide and provided a fantastic tour of Akagera Wildlife Park. Very professional, extensive knowledge of the park and wildlife, and really took the extra effort to show us as much as possible. Seeing the animals in their natural habitat was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, in the beautiful and varied Akagera park. Highly recommend both Abu as a guide and the tour.

Very good trip overall. Guide was great. The traffic back to Kigali makes for a very long day though. I would recommend an overnight and return mid day the following day to avoid the traffic and spread the driving (7 hours with traffic) over 2 days instead of one.

It was a fantastic day, our guide, Ben, was brilliant and so knowledgable. We had so many good conversations and learnt so much. We couldn’t recommend Ben more highly as a guide. Thoughtful and considerate. He made every single effort so we saw so many animals. We did the boat tour as well and we would highly recommend it. The national park is beautiful.

Great tour. Our tour guide Jean Paul worked hard to make it a memorable one. We got fantastic pictures too. I recommend 5/5. You won't regret it.

Jean Bosco was a wonderful guide! We saw so many different animals and learned so much about the animals, Akagera National Park and Rwanda. Would definitely recommend Jean Bosco and the tour- must see while you’re in Kigali!

We had a wonderful time with Bosco in Akagera! He was incredibly knowledgeable about all of the animals, clearly knew the park very well, and showed his own enthusiasm at seeing certain animals - although he’s seen them many times! We had an outstanding experience and would highly recommend working with Olivier and Bosco again!

Jean Bosco was excellent!! He was very knowledgeable, friendly, and made sure we had phenomenal experience!!

This was so wonderful! Our Driver, Jean-Paul, took SO much care of us. He was very attentive, funny, informative, and a great driver through the park. Would recommend him to anyone!

Kevin is an awesome young man. Very respectful, He took very good care of us from pickup from the hotel until he dropped us off. He made sure we were comfortable, he made sure that we got to see the animals that we wanted to see on the safari. He is a very safe and self conscience driver, which made us feel comfortable and safe.

I have a friend of mine who went with countryside tour and confirmed me that he had great time with them. Likewise me, I also had a fabulous stay in akagera national park with a generous tour guide called Emmanuel, he is punctual, professional and has experience of the place, i would recommend him to anyone coming to rwanda for a safari. This is his contact +250785019310. Thanks!

Absolutely amazing experience! Jean Paul was the best tour guide ever. On time, efficient driver and knew just where all the critters in the wild were! Made it a fun game to find them. Would go again.

We had an absolutely incredible experience with Countrywide Tours for the Safari trip to Akagena Park in Rwanda! From the very beginning, their communication was outstanding, and every detail was shared well in advance, clearly and accurately, which made the entire pre-travel process smooth and stress-free. BTW, if you are a photo enthusiast, don't reserve anything less than a 4 by 4 with an open top. You will be tempted based on savings, but you are not allowed to get out of the vehicle in the park. We had Wi-Fi that worked throughout the trip, and their meals were great. The real highlight of our trip, though, was our phenomenal tour guide, Alexis. His deep knowledge, passion for wildlife, and engaging storytelling brought every moment to life. Thanks to him, we saw three of the Big Five and many other amazing animals. After hearing him discuss and show us the hippopotamus, we agreed it should be called the Big 6! That's how in-depth our conversation went. Alexis truly went above and beyond to make this journey unforgettable he was the icing on the cake! He Highly recommend Countrywide Tours for anyone looking for a well-organized, enriching, and memorable adventure. And if given the option, ask for Alexis!  

This tour was top-notch! My tour guide, Ben, made me feel at home from the moment he picked me up from the hotel. He provided lots of knowledge about the local Kigali culture and would point out important landmarks during the drive to Akagera. We stopped at a lovely open-air coffee shop on the way to the park. Ben frequently talked with other tour guides and their groups. It was nice to see how friendly and communal the tour guides are. On arrival to the park, Ben explained the history of Akagera and its importance to the local community, to give context on the place we were about to spend 5.5 hours. He asked which animals I most wanted to see, and he made it happen. Throughout the park, Ben was super attentive and stopped every time we saw an animal. He’d give insight into the animal’s habitat and behavior each time. We saw at least 15 animals! I highly recommend this tour. I’m here for a conference but was glad I had a free day beforehand to go on this adventure.

I did this trip by myself with John-Paul who was a great guide and tried his hardest all day to make it the best it could be. Pick up was dead on 5am and we had a great drive to Akagera with a coffee stop on the way. At the park we saw so many great animals and John-Paul stopped to chat with other guides who shared where they had seen rhinos, elephants etc. I did the boat trip which broke the day up but we didn’t see much so I possibly wouldn’t do that again. As a solo traveller the option for a RAV4 worked really well. Whenever we stopped to see something John-Paul opened the sunroof for me to stand up and look out. The drive on the way back was a ‘short cut’ to Kigali. A lot of it was on bumpy unsealed roads but we got to drive through lots of local villages which added to the experience.

We had an amazing day at Akagera National Park with our lovely guide Anaclet, who went above and beyond to make sure we had a great experience. He's very knowledgeable about the history of the park and about all the different animals, birds and plants that we saw there and was a lovely person to spend the day with. We saw lots of animals including being a couple of meters away from two elephants while on the boat trip. The final cherry-on-top of the day was seeing hundreds of zebras, antelope and white rhinos grazing on a plain where we were able to get out of the truck and watch from a distance. The tour was well-organized and communication with Olivier was great. The park itself is beautiful and even though there were lots of other tours there is was never crowded and we had the sense of having the park to ourselves most of the time. I would highly recommend doing this safari with Countryside Tours!

We had an amazing experience in Akagera, thanks to our driver, Jean-Paul. The itinerary is convenient and well-planned - pick-up was punctual and we stopped at a great little coffee shop. The vehicle is spacious and equipped with comforts. Jean-Paul was an excellent and knowledgeable guide, and he made an effort to ensure we saw as many animals as possible - we saw 4 of the Big 5 (lion, elephant, rhino, and buffalo), as well as zebras, giraffes, crocodiles, hippos, baboons and monkeys, impalas, and loads of birds. We had also opted for the boat ride and the pop-up roof, and we enjoyed those as well. Everything proceeded very smoothly - everyone, from the tour operator, to Jean Paul, to the park staff - was welcoming. This is a great, unspoilt park, visiting it was an unforgettable experience, definitely would recommend! :)

We had an amazing experience in Akagara. Our driver and guide (Amor) was engaging and worked hard to help us see lots of animals and some incredibly diverse landscape. The pop up roof was great!

An amazing trip following beloved main characters from adored cartoons since childhood 🙈🦁🦓🐘 We were lucky with our driver Jean Paul who based on his experience through the years did the Game Drive full of emotions, un expectations, focus) and joy 😊 The real presentation of Africa with full background of history, mentality and vibe. Many thanks to Jean Paul🫶🏻 Hope to meet once one more time ! Best wishes!

A great adventure from Kigali. Our guide, Jean Paul, really made the whole thing great. We were extremely lucky to see all of the Big 5, but obviously you never know what you're going to see on Safari. Its a very long day, but worth it. We had the pop-up 4-wheel vehicle, which was awesome but not necessary; there were times that I think we had a better view than folks without it. We did the boat tour and if you haven't seen hippos before, I would suggest it. We saw a couple of crocodiles as well, and the best opportunity to see buffalo. However, the tour would have been worth it without the boat tour. Overall, a great experience that I would highly recommend.

Our first visit to Akagera was truly exceptional. Bachou was punctual, attentive, and very knowledgeable. He taught us about animal behavior, local flora and fauna, and species adaptation with passion and clarity. The day was full of laughter, learning, and good energy. It was by far our best experience in Rwanda so far. I truly recommend this experience ! Urakoze cyane, Bachou!

What an extraordinary day. Bachou, our driver arrived early to prepare the car for my daughters car seat which was really appreciated, while I organised my toddler in the back of the RAV4 which had plenty of space he registered us with the park which would save us time later on. We then set of in the dark to the reserve. During our journey Bachou shared with me so much about life in Rwanda, the park and its animals and I was so grateful for the knowledge he shared with me. We stopped at a gorgeous coffee shop/restaurant to stretch our legs. The park itself, matched with Bachous sincere enthusiasm and joy for his work made for a truly exceptional experience. My daughter and I felt totally taken care of, all our needs were met, we saw some incredible sights and it was a the safari I had always imagined. We were not rushed, and the day was managed perfectly for us, even with our circumstances aka having my toddler along. About the tour company..expertly executed customer service, easy to book, great value for money and even a follow up to make sure all went well. Thanks to the the whole team, especially Bachou for the unforgettable experience. Truly once in a lifetime.

Saw so many animals as soon as we entered! The guides did their absolute best and we saw 4 out of the big 5. They were so informative. The whole experience was amazing we all loved it. Wish we stayed over. Also the lunch provided is really nice

Exploring Akagera National Park with friends was an incredible experience! From the moment we entered, we were surrounded by stunning savannah landscapes and amazing wildlife. Spotting lions, elephants, giraffes, and hippos up close made the trip even more exciting.

This was an absolutely amazing experience. Bachu was the best guide we could have asked for, very knowledgeable about the park, the animals and Rwanda as a whole. We saw 4 of the big 5 and Bachu made sure we got a good look at all of the animals we saw. The book process was very smooth and they are quick to respond. Thanks for having us!

What an amazing experience! I would like to give a special shoutout to Benjamin for being a phenomal safari guide all throughout. He went out of his way to make sure that I got to see as many animals as possible, as well as have sufficient time to snap as many cool photos as possible. Highly recommend!

What a wonderful experience! We saw all the animals we had hoped to see: lions, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, zebras, baboons, and more. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable with an eagle eye for animals. It was a long journey there and back from our hotel and expect to be bumped around (the African massage). Overall, an experience you should not miss.

This was a fantastic day out. Our driver (Amor?) picked us up early in Kigali and drove us to Akagera. His knowledge of the park and animals helped us see just about everything we'd hoped for. Going around the park he pointed out everything for us before a short break for the tasty lunch with a view. Then we continued through the park taking loads of photos of all the animals encountered. Then the bonus just as we exited the park was a black rhino with her baby just by the exit. It all made for an unforgettable day. Highly recommended.

The game drive experience through Akagera National Park was amazing! I really enjoyed the day with my tour guide, Anaclet. He was so knowledgeable and personable. We got to see four of the big five as well as so many other beautiful animals and birds throughout the day. I also had great interactions with Olivier booking the tour and learned from a passionate environmentalist, Innocent, on a boat tour. I highly recommend Countryside Tours-Rwanda!