Park Entrance Fees for Akagera National Park
Park Entrance Fees for Akagera National Park; Akagera National park is Rwanda’s beautifully endowed national park with the big 5 and other wildlife species. There are several charges put in places at every national park and these are known as park entrance fees. These have to all be faithfully paid before one is accepted to enter the national park to explore what it has to offer. Park entrance fees for akagera national park are usually charged according to the activity, origin of visitor and are usually time based. This fee paid is accumulated from a few things such as Government taxes, community fees, maintenance of the park, payment of workers.
There are 3 categories of visitors. There are International Visitor, Rwandan/ EAC Resident and Rwandan/ EAC Citizens who are all charged differently per activity and every activity is costed differently be it game drive, bird watching, boat cruises, camping as well as children ages 6 -12 will be expected to pay a fee though less. Only children below the age of 5 are not charged and those above 13 will be expected to pay the adult rate. Akagera national park fees are implemented by Akagera Management Company not government as is the case with most national parks.
The park has several activities to offer and below are the activities plus the park entrance fees for akagera for each activity. These rates are on per person/ per vehicle, per day basis.
For entry fee/ Self-drive permit
Rwandan/ EAC Citizens will be charged 7.50 USD or 6,500 RWF while their children (6-12 years) will be charged 4 USD or 3,500 RWF.
Rwandan/ EAC Residents will be charged 35 USD while the children will be charged 20 USD.
International visitors are charged 50 USD for park entry while the children are charged 30 USD to access the park.
This park entry fee is inclusive of the self-drive game viewing
For Vehicle fee.
Every vehicle that enters the park has to pay and these are charged basing on the registered number plate and size.
For a (Rwandan/ EAC registered) small vehicle/ Minibus is charged 12 USD or 10,000 RWF while a bus/ Omnibus/ over lander is charged 24 USD or 20,000 USD.
For a (Foreign registered) small vehicle/ Mini bus, it is charged 40 USD then the Omnibus/ bus/ overlander is charged 100 USD.
Akagera Guide Fee
If you are in need of hiring a guide from Akagera the park itself, that comes at a separate cost of 25 USD for half day and 40 USD for full day guiding. Ensure to have a driver guide when at Akagera as it will be the best way to enjoy your visit to the park since they are well versed with the park.
Other Activities and fees
Game drive day (operated by Akagera Management Company); Half day that is 5 hours max, vehicle with a driver, guide and maximum of 7 people is at 180 USD while the full day drive goes for 280 USD.
Night game drive (operated by Akagera Management Company) is charged 40 USD for adults and 25 USD for children on a basis of per person for 2 and a half hours of vehicle with a driver, guide and a minimum of 2 people and max of 7 people.
Fishing with own equipment is charged 25 USD for adults and 15 USD for children.
Boat trip (scheduled morning/ day) is charged 35 USD for adults and 20 USD for children per hour and per person with a maximum of 11 people per boat.
Boat trip (scheduled sunset trip) is charged 45 USD for adults and 30 USD for children per person and per hour basis and a maximum of 11 people per boat.
Private, non-scheduled boat trip is charged 180 USD per boat only available at non-scheduled times starting from 10:30 to 1:30 pm.
Camping fee is 25 USD per person per night and this only caters for access to the camping ground and security so ensure to hire or have a tent and the camping equipment.
Behind the scenes tour is charged 25 USD per person for 1 and a half hours and a minimum of 4 people. There is also a group rate for the Akagera behind the scenes which is 180 USD for a group of 8+ people.
Walk the line is a 7km walk along the fence which takes about 2 hours and with a minimum of 3 people where each individual will be expected to pay 30 USD for adults and 20 USD for the children.
Community Cultural Experiences. These are various activities offered for half day to a minimum of 3 people at 30 USD for adults and 20 USD for children.
Annual passes: These passes give the visitors on tour of Akagera National Park access for a full year after payment. It includes park entrance fees for akagera and Vehicle fees but does not include park activities however a 10% discount on activity permits is offered to annual pass holders. These are the fees charged for annual passes accordingly.
Rwandan/ EAC Citizens: Singles pass goes for 95,000 RWF, couples pass for 115,000 RWF and the family pass for 150,000 RWF.
Rwandan/EAC Residents: Singles pass goes for 250 USD, couples pass for 400 USD and family pass at 600 USD.
Other fees such as tent hire is at 20 USD, Recovery fee in case of breakdown or assistance in the park is 70 USD, commercial filming would cost you 250 USD per day. Also fines for breaking any park rules and regulations will go for 150 USD.
Things to note about these fees;
Residency must be verified with documentation otherwise one would be charged as an international visitor.
Groups of Rwandan Nationals of 20 people and above are charged 5,000 RWF that is an automatic discount given to them.
Game drives operated by AMC include vehicle, driver and guide and pick up and drop off locations are within the south of the park only. Game drives are scheduled for the hours of 6:30 am to 11:30 am then 12pm to 5pm for the afternoon drive. Full day start from 6:30 to 5:00pm.
Night drives begin at 5:30pm and end around 8 to 8:30pm and are only done in the south part of the park.
Tent hire does not include any bedding or camping equipment, only the tent per 6-man (3m x 3m) canvas tent.
Children under 5 are free of charge. These park entrance fees for akagera are applicable for 6-12 years then the 13 and above are charged as adults.
Boat trips are scheduled for 4 times in the day that is; 7:30 to 8:30 am, 9:00 to 10:00 am, 3:00 to 4:00 pm, then 4:30 to 6:00pm (sunset trip)
Park Entrance fees for akagera are payable per person per day in the park however if one is spending more than 3 nights, he will only pay for 3 nights and can spend to up to a week. Those guests who are not having overnight inside the park are considered day visitors and will have to pay for each day they enter the park.
