Nine en-suite tents are spaced among palms and fig trees on the wooded southern shore of Lake Ihema, Akagera’s largest lake, deep inside the national park itself and not at its edge. Raised wooden walkways link them to a thatched reception, lounge and dining area, and to a deck and fire pit set out over the water. No more than twenty guests stay at a time.
Hippos surface within sight and sound of the deck.
The camp was designed, built and is run by the park’s own management, the joint venture between the Rwanda Development Board and African Parks that oversees Akagera. It is one of only a handful of places to stay inside the boundary, which puts game viewing on the doorstep. Hippos surface within sight and sound of the deck. The birdlife on the water is constant, and most of it arrives without being sought.
Ruzizi was conceived as an eco-lodge, and it runs entirely on solar power, hot water included. The walkways were threaded through the forest instead of clearing it. The lakeside structures sit low among the palms and figs, built to leave the shoreline much as they found it, and much of the furniture and décor was hand-crafted by Rwandan artisans and cooperatives.
The walkways were threaded through the forest instead of clearing it.
Because the park owns and operates the camp, the profits do not leave with a private operator. They go back into Akagera’s conservation work and into the programmes that support the communities around it. The people who run the lodge are the same people working to protect the reserve, and a night spent here helps pay for the park guests have come to see.
Akagera is Rwanda’s only national park built around savannah, lakes and wetland instead of forest. It spreads across the east of the country, a few hours’ drive from Kigali, a mosaic of freshwater lakes, papyrus swamp, open plain and woodland. Lion and black rhino have both been brought back, and the park is once again home to the full set of large mammals. For anyone trekking gorillas or chimpanzees elsewhere in Rwanda, it is the natural counterpoint, dust and long horizons after the closeness of the forest.
The camp is roughly six kilometres inside the main gate, in the park’s southern sector, and the lake takes charge of the day. Boat safaris go out onto Ihema for hippo, crocodile and rafts of waterbirds. Morning and night drives work the surrounding plains and woodland for elephant, buffalo, zebra and antelope, and for the predators that follow them. Beyond the drives and the water there are guided walking safaris, fishing, and behind-the-scenes visits that show how a once-struggling reserve was rebuilt.
Boat safaris go out onto Ihema for hippo, crocodile and rafts of waterbirds.
The lake is alive with birds, part of a park list running to hundreds of recorded species, and the slow hours on the deck count for as much as the activities do. The tents themselves are simple and comfortable rather than lavish. Each is en suite, with a shaded veranda, camp chairs and an outlook of its own, and the nine share the lounge, bar and dining deck. Ruzizi suits travellers who want to be genuinely inside the wildlife, which is why staff walk guests between the tents and the main area after dark.
None of it stands apart from the park. The lodge is part of Akagera’s own tourism operation, so the people who greet guests at the gate are the people rebuilding the reserve behind it, and every night’s stay is money returned to the wildlife and to the communities on its borders. Solar power carries the whole camp, and the margin that would otherwise leave with an outside operator stays where it was earned. Few places make the line between a holiday and a park’s survival so short.
accommodation
Nine en-suite tents stand among palms and fig trees on the shore of Lake Ihema, linked by raised wooden walkways to a thatched lounge, bar and dining deck. Each has a shaded veranda and an outlook of its own, and with no more than twenty guests in camp the feel stays intimate and quiet. Comfort here is simple, and the lake does the rest.
activities
Days centre on boat safaris across Lake Ihema for hippo, crocodile and waterbirds, alongside morning and night game drives for elephant, buffalo, lion and antelope. The park also offers guided walking safaris, fishing and behind-the-scenes visits that show how Akagera was rebuilt as a wildlife reserve.
conservation
Ruzizi was designed, built and is run by the park's own management, the joint venture between the Rwanda Development Board and African Parks. It runs entirely on solar power, and because no private operator takes a cut, its profits go back into Akagera's conservation work and surrounding communities.
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.
Ruzizi Tented Lodge sits inside Akagera National Park itself, on the wooded shore of Lake Ihema in eastern Rwanda. The usual route is by road from Kigali International Airport, a drive of around two and a half hours to the park, then on to the lodge. We arrange the transfer.
A private light-aircraft charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, or a helicopter transfer to Akagera's airstrip is possible for those who would rather fly, as there is no scheduled service into the park.
Akagera sits low in the warm east of Rwanda, among lakes and papyrus swamp, so it carries more malaria risk than the country's high mountain parks, and that risk rises in the wet months. Antimalarial cover is usually recommended for this part of the country.
The right precautions depend on your own history and on guidance that changes from year to year, so we always suggest confirming the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, together with the usual cover against bites after dark.
Akagera needs no trekking permit of the kind the gorilla and chimp parks require. You pay a park conservation and entry fee instead, which we include in your trip, and the days run on game drives and boat safaris on Lake Ihema rather than tracking on foot. That makes it a simpler park to arrange than Volcanoes or Nyungwe.
The boat safari and the morning and night drives are booked through the lodge, and we set them up before you travel so your time in the park is planned.
Akagera is warm savannah, so pack differently from the mountain parks. Light, breathable clothing in neutral colours for game drives, a sun hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen come first, with a warm layer for the open vehicle on early mornings and cool evenings on the lake. Insect repellent matters, and cover your arms and legs once the sun is down.
The drier months from June to September bring firm tracks and dust rather than mud, while the greener season is warmer and wetter, so add a light waterproof if you travel then.
Akagera is an easier park for families than Rwanda's gorilla forests, as the game drives and boat safaris have no minimum trekking age to work around. This is a small camp inside the park, quiet and low-key, and children take in the wildlife from the vehicle and the boat.
Lodges set their own youngest-guest ages and their own rules for children on drives, so tell us who is travelling and their ages, and we will confirm Ruzizi's policy and plan accordingly.
Akagera reads differently through the year. The long dry season from June to September is the prime time, when thinning bush and shrinking water draw the game, and the Big Five with it, towards Lake Ihema and the river, and the tracks stay firm for following lion and rhino. The short dry spell from mid-December to February runs it close.
The green months bring fine birding, the shoebill stork among the prizes, but the game spreads out and April can turn the tracks to mud. We will steer you to the window that suits whether you are after big game, birds or a quieter park.
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our approach
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