4 Day Rwanda Akagera Express Guided Motorcycle Tour

Overview

Akagera is Rwanda’s premier wildlife destination. On this tour, visit the park, but more importantly, ride tracks near the park boundaries, which provide a truly wild motorcycle adventure. In addition to this, ride challenging routes towards the north and loop around to the south, through the forest and tea plantations. This short four-day ride will show you the best parts of southeastern Rwanda.

Highlights

• Starts and ends in Kigali
• Adventure through Rwanda’s southeastern region
• Ride scenic routes through Nyagatare, Akagera, and the surrounding landscapes
• Optional early morning game drive near Akagera National Park
• Support vehicle with local driver and on-route mechanic assistance
• Professional tour leader riding with the group throughout the journey
• 3 nights of hotel accommodation during the tour
• Daily breakfast provided on days 2 - 4

Itinerary

1. Day 1: Kigali - Nyagatare (162 km / 100 mi)

   Leaving the busy city roads behind, you ride smaller country roads towards the north. You hit the main road again for a short while before you enter a small off-road track that leads you into the small town of Nyagatare

2. Day 2: Nyagatare - Akagera (157 km / 97 mi)

   You drive south, through hot, low-lying plains. You can enjoy empty stretches of new highway, where digital speed cameras monitor your speed. However, you will certainly also drive some gravel roads along Akagera National Park, a long protected area running north to south that borders Tanzania. The park encompasses savanna, woodland, and wetlands, and a dozen lakes. After the near-eradication of poaching in just five years, lions and black rhinos were reintroduced between 2015 and 2018, and white rhinos were introduced in 2021 as part of a conservation effort to protect these species.

3. Day 3: Akagera - Nyanza (205 km / 127 mi)

   Early morning starts with an optional game drive, and after a late breakfast, you depart for your ride south. You enter the district of many lakes through nice gravel roads and cut along the Burundi border towards the west. Part of today’s ride will be on gravel and dirt roads, with several smaller tracks in between. Nyanza is a small country town where not much seems to happen, but it comes alive at night.

4. Day 4: Nyanza - Kigali (125 km / 77 mi)

   The first few hours will be gravel and dirt roads crossing many rivers through a tea plantation area. The last few hours of the day will be a bit busier approaching Kigali.

Ride Details

Terrain

mostly asphalt, one-third is off-road

Bike

rental bike (Haojin 200cc)

Mileage

649 kilometers / 403 miles

Daily rides

125 - 205 kilometers / 78 - 127 miles

Riding gear

not included: helmet is mandatory, motorcycle jacket with protection, gloves, a good, strong pair of trousers with protection or separate knee armour, and sturdy, high (mountain) boots

Meals

breakfasts, lunch, dinner

Accommodation

Accommodation is in simple, locally run hotels in towns along the route, offering basic but comfortable twin-share rooms that reflect the authentic character of the regions visited.

Food

Lunch will be served at simple local restaurants along the route, where locals commonly dine. Dinner will be a more substantial meal enjoyed at the hotel’s restaurant.

Getting There

The route travels through southeastern Rwanda, starting in Kigali and moving north through Nyagatare, alongside the Akagera region with its savannas, lakes, and wildlife-rich landscapes, before looping south through rural districts, tea plantations, and gravel backroads back toward the capital. [+](https://www.tripaneer.com/zebra-trails/4-day-rwanda-akagera-express-guided-motorcycle-tour# "Zoom in