Most travellers come to Rwanda for the gorillas. Akagera National Park, in the country’s east, tells a different story. Here the forested hills give way to open savannah, papyrus swamps and a chain of lakes, and the plains game and predators that once vanished from this corner of the country have returned.
Magashi is Wilderness’s camp in the park’s north-east, set on the shore of Lake Rwanyakazinga. It opened in May 2019 as the first luxury camp in Akagera, run in partnership with African Parks and the Rwanda Development Board, the two organisations that manage the park. Eight tented suites look out over the water and the wildlife that gathers along it.
Akagera is the only place in Rwanda where you can see the Big Five, and Magashi holds the park’s sole private concession, roughly 6,000 hectares of plains, woodland and lakeshore reserved for its guests. Lions came back in 2015 after an absence of more than fifteen years, black rhinos in 2017, and both now move through this landscape again.
Lions returned in 2015, black rhinos in 2017, and the savannah that had fallen quiet now carries their tracks once more.
The lake itself holds one of Africa’s highest densities of hippo, alongside large crocodiles, the secretive sitatunga and the rare shoebill stork. Days here are spent on the water and across the grasslands, watching a recovered ecosystem at close range.
Magashi stands on the edge of Lake Rwanyakazinga, in the diverse north-eastern reach of Akagera National Park. The setting pairs open savannah and grassy low mountains with the water and wetland that define this part of Rwanda, and the camp’s viewing deck and waterfront put much of the action within sight before you have left your suite.
The eight tented suites were designed by Caline Williams-Wynn and Nilfah Adams of Artichoke, with interiors that draw on traditional Rwandan craft and materials. The communal area gathers a lounge, dining space, bar, pool and a deck with a fire pit, all turned towards the lake.
A park brought back from the edge, and a camp built to show you the recovery first hand.
Game drives cross some of the most varied savannah in East Africa, open plains, woodland, swamp and lake. Boat excursions on Lake Rwanyakazinga bring you alongside the hippo pods, basking crocodiles and waterbirds, and the chance of a shoebill. Guided walks and night drives extend the day, and guests can join the park’s conservation work, helping track and identify Akagera’s lions and leopards using photographic identikits.
Akagera covers more than 100,000 hectares and has been managed by African Parks since 2010, a partnership that has ended commercial poaching and rebuilt the wildlife populations the park is now known for. Magashi was created to support that work and to fund the continued protection of Rwanda’s last savannah ecosystem. The park sits in eastern Rwanda within reach of Kigali, and pairs naturally with gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park to the north-west for a complete picture of the country.
accommodation
Magashi has eight tented suites strung along the shore of Lake Rwanyakazinga, each open to the water and the savannah beyond. Interiors by Caline Williams-Wynn and Nilfah Adams of Artichoke draw on Rwandan craft and materials, with a shared lounge, dining area, bar, pool and a fire-pit deck at the centre of camp.
activities
Days run between the lake and the grasslands. Game drives cross open plains, woodland and swamp in search of lion, rhino, elephant and buffalo, while boat trips bring you close to hippo, crocodile and waterbirds. Guided walks, night drives and birdwatching fill out the rest, with the shoebill stork a prized sighting.
conservation
Akagera has been managed by African Parks since 2010, a turnaround that ended poaching and returned lions in 2015 and black rhinos in 2017. Magashi funds this continued work, and guests can take part directly, helping track and identify the park's lions and leopards through photographic identikits used for monitoring.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
Magashi sits in the north-east of Akagera National Park, on the shore of Lake Rwanyakazinga in eastern Rwanda. Most guests travel by road from Kigali International Airport, a drive of around two and a half hours, followed by a short onward leg into the private concession. We arrange the transfer for you.
For a quicker arrival, a light-aircraft or helicopter charter can be flown to Akagera's airstrip and met with a transfer to camp; the fixed-wing option is typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12. There is no scheduled flight into the park, so this is a private charter, which we can build into your itinerary.
Akagera carries more malaria risk than Rwanda's mountain parks. It lies low in the warm east of the country, a landscape of lakes and papyrus swamp that suits mosquitoes, and the risk climbs in the wet months. Antimalarial cover is usually recommended for this part of Rwanda.
We do not give medical advice. We are travel planners rather than doctors, so the choice of tablets, and whether they suit everyone in the party, belongs in a conversation between you and your own doctor or a travel clinic. What we can be useful on is the non-medical part: cover up once the light goes, and carry repellent.
There are no trekking permits to buy at Akagera as there are in the gorilla and chimp forests. Instead the park charges a conservation and entry fee, which we fold into your trip, and your days are spent on game drives and boat safaris rather than tracking on foot. That makes Akagera a simpler park to arrange than Volcanoes or Nyungwe.
Activities such as the boat trip on the lake and the night drives are arranged through the camp, and we set them up in advance so your time is accounted for before you arrive.
Akagera is warm savannah, so the packing is different from the mountain parks. Light, breathable clothing in neutral colours for game drives, a sun hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen are the priority, with a warm layer for the open vehicle on early starts and cool evenings by the lake. Bring insect repellent and cover your arms and legs after dark.
The drier months from June to September make for firm tracks and dust rather than mud, while the greener season is warmer and wetter, so a light waterproof is worth packing then.
Magashi welcomes children from the age of six. Because this is a Big Five park with lion, buffalo and rhino, families with children aged between six and twelve take a private game-drive vehicle, which keeps the pace and the timing your own. Akagera has no minimum trekking age like the gorilla parks, so in that sense it suits families more readily.
Tell us the ages of your children and we will arrange the private vehicle where it is needed and tailor the drives and boat trips to suit them.
Magashi has wifi in the tented suites, enough for email and messaging in a camp set well away from any town. It is not built for heavy use, and out on drives and boat trips across the park the mobile signal comes and goes.
If being reachable matters on a certain day, tell us and we will let you know what to expect and plan around it.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
