About Ruaha

Found in the heart of Tanzania Ruaha National Park is not frequented by thousands of tourists like the other National Parks because of its slight geographical disadvantage being in central Tanzania, a true spread of untouched nature, this makes those lucky enough to make a trip to Ruaha enjoy a remote and exclusive adventure.

With around 20,000 square kilometers of large open grass plains christened by huge baobab trees and bordered by gentle rolling hills, Ruaha National Park has a dramatic and attractive scenery to rival the very best destinations. Having a major river River Ruaha, bordering the park in its south makes the park even more radiant. Making the slightly longer trip to the Park worthwhile.

Ruaha National Park is easily accessed via a short flight from the business capital of Dar-es-salaam to one of the park’s airstrip. You can take a drive through the adjoining parks of the southern circuit Nyerere National park to Udzungwa National park then Ruaha National park enjoying accommodations and game drives of the respective parks.

Comfortable safari lodges offering a heavenly scenery are some of the accommodations that tourists in Ruaha enjoy, mobile camps are also available to those who fancy camping in the wild, a priceless experience on its own.

Activities

Take game drives around this huge wildlife enthusiast dream park riding alongside herds of Buffalos and huge elephants. Enjoy the sights of this incredibly wildlife diverse park with sights of lions in the Mwagusi area and other predators such as endangered wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards and more are some of the commonly featured attractions in the Park.

Walk around adventures are rare due to the large number of elephants in the park, however some few camps with seasoned guides who know the park well enough will take you around the safer trails in the parks

Time to visit & Climate

Ruaha is a top destination all year round, however in the dry season, May to November when the savannah is golden and sparse it is a slightly better because all the animals congregate around the drying up water sources making it easier to spot them. Elephants use their trunks to dig up the somewhat dry land, a very interesting thing to see.

Birders might want to visit the park in the long rains between February and April, this is when the migrant birds from Europe and parts of Africa reach Ruaha National Park. The grass is lush and green and surface is bright during this time too making it perfect for Landscape photographers.

Ruaha Natioanal Park wildlife

One of the biggest national Park in the country is also blessed with a huge variety of wildlife. Ruaha National Park hosts about 10% of the world’s lion population! You can sometimes spot a pride of up to 20 lions strutting about the open plains, Leopards are found in the woodlands, cheetahs can be seen patrolling the plains for prey and the endangered wild dogs are here in their 100s.

Impalas, waterbucks, gazelles, zebras, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, greater and lesser kudu and Buffalos are some of the animals that can be seen grazing around the plains in the park.

Eponymous Ruaha red-billed hornbill and some other 570 bird species can be seen flying around making it a great birders destination.