
Ruaha National Park I Safari to Ruaha
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Ruaha National Park
Ruaha National Park is a national park in Tanzania. Ruaha National Park is the largest national park in Tanzania. It covers an area of about 13,000 square kilometres.The addition of the Usangu Game Reserve and other important wetlands to the park in 2008 increased its size to about 20,226 km², making it the largest protected area in Tanzania and East Africa. The park is about 130 kilometres west of Iringa. Click below to read more about Ruaha…
When to go to Ruaha
The average rainfall at the park headquarters is about 500mm and usually comes between November and April. The coolest month is normally July with a daytime max. of 30º C dropping to 15º C at night; temperatures then rise until it rains in November or later. For larger mammals the best time to visit Ruaha National Park is in the dry season between June and October. As a simple rule, the drier it gets, the fewer places there are for the game to drink and the more the animals congregate around remaining water sources. Of course this makes life much easier for lions and other predators as they simply have to hide in a bush near such a water source and try not to fall asleep.
Getting to Ruaha
Ruaha National Park is approximately 120km away from the nearest town Iringa along the ‘Neverending’ road (left). The road is well maintained and graded and takes around 2 hours. If you are driving from Dar es Salaam it is an 8 hour journey to Iringa from which there is a further 2 hour drive. There is no night driving in Ruaha so you must arrive at the park in time to drive to your accomodation. In general the roads in the park are well maintained but a 4-wheel drive is recommended.
Attractions in Ruaha Park
Ruaha is the country’s largest national park, following the recent incorporation of several adjoining game reserves to double its original area to 20,540 sq. km (8,011 sq. miles). It has the wildest and most rugged feel of any Tanzanian safari destination, all semi-arid rocky slopes and baobab-studded plains, a harshly beautiful landscape alleviated by the near-perennial Great Ruaha River, which follows the park’s southeast boundary for 160km (99 miles), and several small seasonal tributaries. Ruaha also offers some of the finest game viewing in the region, with large concentrations of wildlife — elephants, in particular — complemented by low tourist volumes by comparison even to Selous.
Where to stay in Ruaha
There are numerous accommodation choices both inside and outside the park. Inside the park there are six privately run options; five camps and one lodge. Mwagusi and Ruaha River Lodge are two of the more established, while Kigelia and Kwihala are relatively newer. Jongomero is away from the main game viewing area, while Mdonya is also quite remote. There are several camping options, the cost varying whether you decide to stay at one of the special campsites or one of the public options along the Mdonya and Ruaha Rivers. There are also several park run ‘bandas’ along the Ruaha River which are quite basic but perfectly adequate.
Ruaha Travel Forum
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Best Ruaha Safari Tours
Ruaha is now Tanzania’s largest national park and offers excellent wildlife viewing. It is particularly good for spotting predators, including very large prides of lion and the endangered wild dog. Elephants and a big variety of antelope species are another big draw to the park. It also has outstanding wilderness appeal, with limited exclusive, luxury camps available.
All big cats are regularly seen, and wild dog are the star attraction. They are especially easy to find when denning. Several antelope species that are rare or absent in northern Tanzania, such as greater and lesser kudu, roan and sable antelope, are often encountered.
Approximately an hour and a half flying time to the west of the Selous, Ruaha National Park is often paired with its neighbour and provides the perfect foil. Where the Selous is verdant and riverine, Ruaha is barren and sparse. Where the Selous has elephant, hippo and crocodile, Ruaha has lions, buffalo and leopard. In every sense, to step into Ruaha is to step into how Africa has existed forever
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