Weather and Seasons
Akagera National Park is an all year round destination. The park has fairly consistently mild temperatures all year round with little variation between 20 – 30 degrees Celsius. Traditional seasons of summer, winter, autumn and spring don’t exist in Rwanda, instead the 4 seasons are made up of a ‘long dry’ and ‘short dry’, and a ‘long wet’ and ‘short wet’ season. The different seasons offer completely different experiences in the park.
Karenge Bush Camp is only open for high season periods, when it is usually also dry; June – August and Mid December – end February.
December – February is considered the “short dry” season. There may be some rain but it is fairly intermittent and shouldn’t last for long. By the end of February, the park can be very dry, bush fires have been known at this time.
March – May is the “long wet” season characterized by regular rain fall and lots of very green grass. Some low-lying areas of the park may need to be closed to vehicle traffic but generally 4×4 vehicles can still traverse much of the park. The rain never lasts for long and when it stops, the clear blue skies with views for miles and lush green vegetation make it a great time of year for appreciating the scenic beauty of Akagera and a good time for scenic photography without any haze in the air.
June – September is the “long dry” season and, during the day, is the warmest time of the year. The environment is very dry and dusty and the hazy atmosphere does impact on the views. However, it is also a good time for game viewing and being able to predict where the animals are more likely to be seen – congregating at the last vestiges of green grass and water. There is potential for fires at this time of year and the park management take a pro-active stance and block-burn sections of the park early in the dry season. Within days of a fire the animals are enjoying the mineral rich ash and the fresh new shoots of green grass.
October – November is the “short wet” season. The first rains clear the haze and the park returns to its lush green state. Birding is considered to be particularly good at this time of year.
Our ‘high season’ for tourism is from June – September and our ‘low season’ around March – April.