Ruaha National Park

Ruaha National Park is on Tanzania's southern safari circuit, and its remoteness is a big part of its appeal. There are very few visitors and even fewer vehicles, so Ruaha still feels like the wild Africa many people picture. The quiet and the scenery here are something special.

Ruaha is one of the largest national parks in Tanzania by area. It's also one of the least visited, receiving less than 1% of all the visitors who travel to Tanzania.

The park is known for its wild landscape and great game viewing. People often call it one of Tanzania's best-kept secrets, because you can enjoy the animals in peace, away from the crowds you find in some other Tanzanian parks.

Ruaha takes its name from the Great Ruaha River, which flows along its southeastern edge and is the center of the game viewing.

Most of the park is brachystegia (miombo) woodland. In some areas you'll also see scattered baobab trees with their odd, twisted shapes.

Ruaha is known for excellent animal sightings, including large herds of elephants and lots of predators. All the big cats are commonly seen, and the endangered wild dog is the star of the show. You'll often see antelope such as greater and lesser kudu, roan, sable and eland, which are rare or missing in northern Tanzania.

Birdwatchers will love it: more than 571 species have been recorded, including migrants from within and outside Africa.

Best Time to Visit

• Dry Season (June to October) – The best time for wildlife viewing, as animals gather around water. This is also when predators are most active.
• Green Season (November to May) – The park turns green, with flowers in bloom and migrant birds arriving. It's also the best time for photography, but the animals are more spread out.

Activities To Do

Here are some of the activities you can do in Ruaha National Park:

• Game drives
• Walking safaris
• Aerial safaris
• Cycling safaris
• Birdwatching
• Cultural tours

What to See

Ruaha has some of the largest wildlife populations in Africa. Here are some of the animals you can expect to see:

1. Big Cats & Predators

• Lions – Ruaha has one of the largest lion populations in Africa, with over 10% of the world's lions living here.
• Leopards – Hard to find, but often seen resting in trees or stalking prey at dusk.
• Cheetahs – Less common, but they do roam the open plains.
• African Wild Dogs – Ruaha is one of the best places to see these rare, endangered predators.

2. Elephants & Large Mammals

• Ruaha has one of Tanzania's largest elephant populations, so it's a great park if you love elephants.
• You'll also see giraffes, zebras, buffaloes and many antelope species, including greater kudus, roan and sable antelopes.

3. Birdwatching in Ruaha

• With more than 570 bird species, Ruaha is a great park for birdwatchers. Look out for colorful birds like the Lilac-breasted Roller, African Fish Eagle and Ruaha Red-billed Hornbill.

How To Get There

Safari Van:

Iringa is the nearest town, about a two-hour drive from the park. From Dar es Salaam the drive takes around 10 hours.

Flight:

You can take a direct charter flight to one of the park's airstrips from Julius Nyerere International Airport or Kilimanjaro International Airport.