Akagera National Park is situated in the north east of Rwanda covering an area of 1,085km2 which makes it the largest protected area in Rwanda. The Akagera National Park boarders Tanzania and is traversed by Akagera river one of the sources of River Nile of which the park derives its name. Akagera National Park was established in 1934 to provide protection in three varied eco-systems i.e. mountain, swamp and savannah. The park is rich in water environments with series of lakes that characterize its floor including Lake Ihema which is the second largest in Rwanda, Lake Rwanyakizinga, Lake Shakani, Lake Mihindi and Lake Gishanju not forgetting the famous Akagera River that traverse the eastern boarder of the park.
The terrain of Akagera National Park is marked by low lying plains that are covered by rolling savannah combretum dotted with acacia woodland which appears in contrast to the other parts of Rwanda that are marked by series of hills that have made Rwanda to be nick named the land of a thousand hills. The park is a rich habitat for wildlife with counts of elephants, buffaloes, zebra, giraffe and antelopes while lions were poached to extinction though the park management is in preparations of re-stocking them. This makes Akagera National Park the haven of wildlife safaris in Rwanda.