In the past few years, Akagera has burst on to the safari scene, first being successfully rewilded with the Big Five and then with its first luxury camp (Magashi) opening in 2019. Considering its relatively short development as a safari destination, I’ve had amazing wildlife viewing there – watching the interactions of a lion pride that stole a leopard’s kill in a tree, actually seeing a leopard (there are several newly-habituated leopards in the north), and spotting over 100 birds (there are nearly 500 in the park). It’s also a stunning area, with rolling hills, placid lakes, thick papyrus swamps and swathes of savannah. All that, just two-to-three hours from Kigali.