When God created the universe he delegated the authority to mankind to rule the earth and all things therein. Therefore, humans have been given moral responsibility to exercise control over the earth and its flora and fauna. Mankind was set up as the ruler of this world. In other words, man is the steward of the earth, and is to bring the material world and all of its varied elements into the service of God and the good of mankind. Of course, this is a sacred responsibility upon every earth’s dweller. As we live on the same planet, we’re ultimately dependent on the natural fruits of the earth for life-support. And everyone has a stake in how elements of nature and natural systems are used and managed. In so doing, the governments have put in place policy and legal frameworks to protect, among others things, wildlife conservation. This requires the protection of wildlife species [plant and animals] and their habitat. The goal of wildlife conservation is to ensure that the future generations can enjoy and recognize the importance of wildlife and wilderness for humans and other species alike. It is against this background that travellers, across the globe, visit one place to another to see the nature, which might be different from their place of origin, and the wildlife species, depending on their desire and adventure. Just last Sunday, on August 5, 2018, my family and I went on a wildlife safari, by ECO-Safari Rwanda, to Akagera National Park. Akagera National Park is one of the four national parks in Rwanda, and is located in Eastern Province of Rwanda on the border with Tanzania. Akagera national park is the only Savannah park in Rwanda and is home to several mammal species including ‘Big Five game animals’ [the lion, the black rhinoceros, the elephant, the leopard, and the cape buffalo]. Prior to setting off the excursion, Safari Provider [Eco-Safari Rwanda] explained to us all the requirements, what we expected to see and how we could behave towards ensuring that our journey was pleasant and trouble-free. Our safari was a great occasion as it was reminiscent of my past safari experiences in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, Arusha National Park in Tanzania and Nyungwe National Park, for canopy walk. What was so special in our safari? Though traversing Akagera is a long journey, we enjoyed three fantastic adventures. First, we took a game drive in search of animals. The game drive lasted 5 hours starting from Southern entrance point to the Northern exit point. We immensely enjoyed sightings of giraffes, hippos, zebras, water buffaloes, antelopes, black-tailed mongoose, catlike genet, black-masked civet, serval cats, warthogs, bush pigs and all sorts of diverse bird species. Surprisingly enough, most of these animals were close by the road, without necessitating us to get off the car. Animals looked at us in a relaxed mood and then continued to ignore us. In this area, we saw splendid open Savanna plains, broad-leaved forests and pleasant hills, candelabra euphoria trees, lakes teaming with crocodiles and the large concentration of hippos. Second was the stunning panoramic view of Kirara, an area towards the Northern exit point. It is an undulating terrain or tableland, which seems like a place of rest for animals. We found there diverse animal species. Similarly, it is an area where tourists make a stop-off for picnic lunch. What a stunning view for taking photos! Photos of wildlife adventure are important nostalgic memories. It is so incredible seeing many animals in their natural habitat. Third, we saw the Akagera River that flows along its eastern boundary and feeds into a labyrinth of lakes of which the largest is Lake Ihema. Akagera has forest fringed lakes, papyrus swamps, savannah plains and rolling highlands. These natural sceneries make the place uniquely touristic. It is worth encouraging anyone to start planning a safari in Akagera National Park or to any other national parks in Rwanda. There are so many reasons to go on a wildlife safari, not the least of which is that it will be an adventure of a lifetime. Going on a wildlife safari is an incredibly memorable experience! However, what one needs is the passion. So whether you want to be inspired, motivated or just read great stories that can help you. It is worth inspiring for people to step out of their comfort zones and prove that adventure is one of the most relaxing moments in life. Having passion for safari is an enabler to budget for it. Not only does it benefit a tourist but is also an opportunity to showcase the beauties of Rwanda and Africa in general. Sharing pictures and stories can inspire travellers to visit the country. In doing so, we’re welcoming travellers to visit Rwanda. Anyone is encouraged to passionately share everything awesome about the country and the continent. A quite big number of tourists choose Rwanda as a destination for seeing diverse wildlife species. And, interestingly, Africa is the world’s number one destination for safaris, especially for being the home of the ‘Big 5’ animals. The writer is a law expert. The views expressed in this article are of the author.
