Night Game Drive Experience: Price, Times & Animals

Night Game Drive Experience: A night game drive in Akagera National Park is a 2.5-hour guided safari after dark, run by the park’s own management team in an open vehicle with a spotlight.

Drives start at about 5:30 p.m. and return around 8 to 8:30 p.m., in the south of the park and from Karenge Bush Camp. It is the only way to explore Akagera at night, and your best chance in Rwanda to see leopards, hyenas, bush babies, genets, civets and other nocturnal animals.

Akagera, in eastern Rwanda on the border with Tanzania, is Rwanda’s only Big Five park. It is about 2.5 hours by road from Kigali, so a night drive fits easily into a one- or two-night stay alongside a daytime game drive and a boat trip on Lake Ihema.

This guide covers what happens on the drive, which animals you may see, what it costs, how to book, where to stay and what to bring.

Akagera Night Game Drive at a Glance

Detail	What to expect
Run by	Akagera Management Company, the partnership between African Parks and the Rwanda Development Board
Start time	About 5:30 p.m.
Finish time	About 8 to 8:30 p.m.
Length	About 2.5 hours
Where	South of the park, and from Karenge Bush Camp
Includes	Safari vehicle, driver and park guide with spotlight
Guide price	Around USD 45 per adult and USD 30 per child, plus park entry
Booking	Through your tour operator, or with the park on +250 786 182 871 or ak***@********ks.org
Best for	Leopards, hyenas, bush babies, genets, civets, owls and nightjars

Prices are a guide; confirm the current rate when you book.

What Happens on an Akagera Night Drive

You meet your guide at the park’s southern reception area or at your lodge in the late afternoon. As the drive begins, you watch the light fade over the savanna and the day animals settle down for the night.

Once it is dark, your guide sweeps a spotlight slowly across the bush and grassland. You look for the glint of eyes reflecting the light, then the guide picks out the animal, tells you what it is and explains how it hunts or survives at night. The spotlight is moved away quickly from animals that are disturbed by it, and from the eyes of prey animals.

Nights in Akagera feel very different from the day. The air cools, frogs and insects call from the wetlands, and you may hear hyenas whooping or a lion roaring in the distance. Self-drive game viewing is a daytime activity, so this guided drive is the way to experience the park after dark.

Read more about the park itself in our guide to Akagera National Park and the wildlife safaris in Akagera.

Nocturnal Animals You May See on an Akagera Night Drive

Every night is different, and sightings are never guaranteed. These are the animals guides most often look for.

Predators

Leopard: shy and rarely seen by day, leopards hunt mostly at night. A leopard sighting is the highlight of many night drives.
Spotted hyena: active after dark, often heard whooping long before they are seen. Learn more about these misunderstood hunters in our guide to rare animals to spot on a safari.
Lion: lions returned to Akagera in 2015 after being wiped out in the 1990s, and they often hunt in the cool of the night.
Side-striped jackal: a slim, quiet hunter of rodents and small prey.

Small Nocturnal Mammals

Bush babies (galagos): tiny primates with huge eyes that leap between branches. Read more about bush babies.
Genets: slender, cat-like hunters with spotted coats and long, ringed tails.
African civet: a larger, banded relative of the genet that wanders along tracks at night.
White-tailed mongoose: a solitary forager, easy to spot by its bushy white tail.
Porcupine and scrub hare: often seen crossing the road in the spotlight.

Night Birds

Nightjars: often seen resting on the warm tracks, then flitting up in the headlights.
Owls: including the large Verreaux’s eagle-owl, the biggest owl in Africa.

Akagera has almost 500 recorded bird species, so birders enjoy both day and night. See bird watching in Rwanda.

Big Animals by Night

Hippos: leave Lake Ihema and the other lakes after dark to graze on land, sometimes several kilometres from the water.
Buffalo, elephants and giraffes: often resting or grazing quietly in the spotlight.

The Sounds of Akagera at Night

Listen as much as you look. On a still night you may hear the whoop of hyenas, the distant roar of a lion, the croak of frogs in the papyrus swamps, the calls of night birds and the crunch of hippos grazing in the dark.

For the full list of species, see wild animals in Rwanda and the Big Five animals in Rwanda.

How Much Does an Akagera Night Drive Cost?

The night drive costs around USD 45 per adult and USD 30 per child, based on the latest published figures. This covers the vehicle, driver and guide for the 2.5-hour drive. Park entry is charged separately, per day or per night in the park. See the current Akagera National Park prices.

If you book an Akagera safari with a tour operator, the night drive and park fees can be included in your package price.

How to Book

Through a tour operator: the easiest option. We book the night drive alongside your transport, lodge and other activities.
Directly with the park: call Akagera reception on +250 786 182 871 or email ak*****@**********ks.org with your date, group size and residency status.

Night drives have limited seats and run from the south of the park, so book ahead, especially from June to September and around Christmas. If a drive is cancelled because of weather or park operations, the park refunds it.

Where to Stay for a Night Drive

Because the drive ends after dark, stay inside the park or close to the southern gate.

Inside the south of the park: Ruzizi Tented Lodge on the shore of Lake Ihema, Akagera Game Lodge, and the camping areas.
Karenge Bush Camp: a seasonal bush camp with night drives starting from camp.
Just outside the park: Akagera Rhino Lodge and other lodges near the southern gate.

Compare options in our guide to Akagera National Park accommodations.

How a Night Drive Fits Into Your Rwanda Safari

Akagera is about 2.5 hours from Kigali; see the distance from Kigali to Akagera and how to get to Akagera from Kigali. A simple two-day plan looks like this:

Day 1: drive from Kigali in the morning, game drive in the afternoon, then the night drive from 5:30 p.m.
Day 2: early morning game drive in the north of the park, a boat trip on Lake Ihema, and return to Kigali.

Ask us to add the night drive to our 2 Day Akagera Safari. With more time, try the 3 Days Akagera Safari, or combine savanna and gorillas on the 3 Days Volcanoes and Akagera National Park Safari and the 6 Days Rwanda Gorillas and Big Five Safari.

The 1 Day Akagera National Park Safari returns to Kigali the same day, so it does not include a night drive.

Conservation in Action

Akagera is one of Africa’s great conservation comebacks. Established as a national park in 1934, it lost much of its wildlife and land in the years after 1994. Since 2010, it has been managed by the Akagera Management Company, a partnership between the Rwanda Development Board and the non-profit African Parks.

Lions were reintroduced in 2015.
Eastern black rhinos returned in 2017 and 2019.
Southern white rhinos arrived in 2021, with 70 more added in June 2025.
No high-value species has been lost to poaching since 2010.
In 2025, Akagera became the first park in the African Parks network to cover its operating costs from its own revenue.

Your night drive fee supports this work directly. Tourism pays for rangers, anti-poaching patrols and research, and 10 percent of park revenue goes to Rwanda’s revenue-sharing scheme, which funds schools, health centres and cooperatives in nearby communities.

Tips for Your Akagera Night Drive

Dress warmly. Evenings in an open vehicle can feel cold, even after a hot day. Bring a fleece or light jacket.
Wear neutral colours. Choose khaki, olive or beige. Avoid dark blue and black, which attract tsetse flies, found in parts of Akagera.
Use insect repellent. Mosquitoes are active at dusk, and malaria is present in Rwanda. Read vaccinations for travellers to Rwanda.
Never use a flash. It disturbs animals. Instead, use a high ISO setting, a wide aperture and a steady hand, and shoot while the guide holds the spotlight on the animal.
Bring binoculars. They help you pick out eyes and shapes at the edge of the light.
Keep your voice low and stay seated in the vehicle at all times.
Follow your guide. They know when it is safe to stop and how close to approach.
Manage expectations. Night sightings vary. Even a quiet night is full of sounds and stars that are hard to forget.

What to Bring

A warm layer and a light rain jacket
Insect repellent
Binoculars and a camera with good low-light performance
A small torch for walking to and from the vehicle
Water

See our full packing list for an Akagera safari. The weather shapes your trip too: read Rwanda weather by month.

Frequently Asked Questions About Akagera Night Drives

Does Akagera National Park offer night game drives?

Yes. Akagera offers guided night game drives run by the park’s management company. They last about 2.5 hours, starting at about 5:30 p.m., in the south of the park and from Karenge Bush Camp.

How much is a night game drive in Akagera?

About USD 45 per adult and USD 30 per child, plus park entry fees. Confirm the current price when you book.

Can I see leopards on an Akagera night drive?

Leopards are seen on some night drives, but never guaranteed. The night drive gives you a much better chance than daytime game drives, as leopards are most active after dark.

Can I do a self-drive night safari in Akagera?

No. Self-drive game viewing is for daytime only. To explore after dark, join the guided night drive.

Can children join the night drive?

Yes, children can join, and there is a lower child rate. The drive ends after dark, so it suits older children best.

What is the best time of year for a night drive?

Night drives run all year. The dry months, June to September and December to February, bring firmer tracks and clearer skies, while the rainy months are greener and quieter.

Is a night game drive safe?

Yes. You stay in the vehicle with a trained park guide and driver who know the park and the animals well.

Is Akagera worth visiting if I come to Rwanda for gorillas?

Yes. Akagera adds lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffes and night wildlife to a gorilla trip, giving you the Big Five and mountain gorillas in one country. See how to combine gorilla trekking with a Big Five safari.

Book Your Akagera Night Drive

A night game drive shows you a side of Akagera that day visitors never see: leopards on the hunt, hippos grazing in the dark and a sky full of stars over the savanna. Tell us your dates through our contact page, and we will book your night drive, lodge and transfers as part of a complete Rwanda safari.