Akagera National Park, Rwanda’s only savanna reserve, sprawls across 1,200 square kilometers of rolling hills, acacia-dotted plains, and a labyrinth of lakes along the Tanzanian border. Home to the Big Five—lions reintroduced in 2015, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos—the park teems with giraffes, zebras, hippos, and over 500 bird species. Boat safaris on Lake Ihema reveal crocodiles basking on papyrus-fringed shores, while game drives wind through woodlands alive with impala and topi. Managed in partnership with African Parks since 2010, Akagera has rebounded from near-devastation in the 1990s, now a vibrant testament to Rwanda’s conservation success.