WILDERNESS SAFARIS
Explore top wildlife hotspots, witness the big five, get up close to the African Wildlife!
Ruaha National Park
Destination Overview
Ruaha has recently been combined with the Usanga Game Reserve making the largest National Park in Africa covering over 15,000 sq km. This new park itself is at the heart of a much larger ecosystem covering over 40,000 sq km.
Ruaha National Park is the largest national park in Tanzania. It is a remote bastion of spectacular wilderness, undisturbed wildlife, and breath-taking scenery and also combines well with the Selous Game Reserve. A major attraction here is the fact that it is one of the least visited parks offering a personal and private safari experience. Ruaha offers one of the largest populations of elephant in any African park, and the vast open areas are teeming with antelope and buffalo followed by the predators especially lion and potentially leopard, as well as African hunting dog and numerous giraffe and zebra. Historically, Ruaha was not a sought after destination for tourists due to the arid environment and the tsetse fly population; however, nowadays, the tsetse flies are under control and wildlife abounds. The best part is that it is still an uncrowded and undiscovered reserve.
Where to find the Ruaha National Park
Climate
Ruaha is hot and dry. Temperatures don’t vary throughout the year, which is typical of its location close to the equator. Nights remain warm all year long. The warmest months are October to March, and the coolest are June to August. The altitude changes within Ruaha (from 721 to 1,863m or 2,365 to 6,112ft) cause varied temperatures. They drop by about 6.5°C for every 1,000m you climb (or 3.5°F per 1,000ft). This may not affect tourists much, as the accessible area is mostly at lower altitudes.
The Dry season occurs from May to October. Ruaha has one extended Wet season from November to April. Afternoon thunderstorms are common, but it is unusual for rainfall to last throughout the day.
What to see and do at
RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
Ruaha National Park is home to an enormous variety of animals, plants and birds with an estimated 20 000 elephants in the park. The birding is spectacular with a recorded 530 different species of birds, which is almost half of all bird species found in Tanzania. The park has one of the biggest counts of large mammal species compared to any other park, as well as having the second largest population of wild dog in Africa. The park's wildlife includes elephant, huge herds of buffalo, giraffe, zebra, impala, eland, hippo, crocodile, lion and leopard. Sable antelope can sometimes be seen in the Miombo areas and in the springs in the Western part of the park. Roan antelope are also sometimes seen in the eastern area of the park. In Ruaha, guests can enjoy superb walking safaris with an armed guides from one of the lodges and gain huge insight into the ecology of the area. Classic game drives take place on a daily basis and guests will find there are not many other visitors in the park at one time.
