The only fancy-pants camp in Akagera National Park, Magashi has eight en-suite tents, socially distanced (too soon?) along the banks of bird-festooned Lake Rwanyakazinga.
Within Magashi’s private concession, you can take boat safaris and go on game drives. The camp is surrounded, not in an intimidating way, by wildlife: lions, elephants, buffalo, hippos, leopards, rhinos and hundreds of bird species, including the rare shoebill stork, named after its clog-like bill. Yes, Akagera is truly a twitcher’s paradise – and, no, not because of the mozzies.
Speaking of which, even insect deterrents are pretty at Magashi – bedroom mosquito nets are a dusky rose to match the chic Millennial pink velvet chairs. Roll up the canvas sides to admire your lush surroundings from bed with a coffee or park yourself outside on your own private deck and listen to the dawn chorus (to manage expectations, we are talking about birds, not an actual human choir).
In the communal area, there’s a pool for a (literally) chilled afternoon dip – much safer than a swim in the lake, trust us on this one – and a circular bar decorated with traditional Rwandan black-and-white imigongo patterns. Gather here for a post-drive beverage over which to positively thrill your fellow guests with a recount of the day’s sightings.
Food is all about local produce and dishes. For breakfast, make ours a Rolex, please. Not the Swiss hardware – this is much better (when you’re hungry, anyway). A regional speciality, it’s a chapati and omelette rolled up with a variety of fillings. And filling it is!
