Ruaha National Parks

Ruaha National Parks

Recently expanded to become the largest national park in East Africa and, after Kafue National Park in Zambia, the second largest in Africa,

Ruaha is home to more than 10,000 elephant. Its name derives from the Great Ruaha River which flows along its eastern border, creating spectacular gorges. Flowing into the Rufiji River, the Great Ruaha is home to Predators include lion, leopard, cheetah, both striped and spotted hyena, and wild dog to hippo and crocodile. Various antelope species, such as eland, grant’s gazelle, impala, greater and lesser kudu, reedbuck, waterbuck and the rare sable and roan antelope thrive in the grasslands bordering the river alongside buffalo, giraffe and zebra.
Birdlife is prolific, over 370 species have been recorded, some of which are not found in northern Tanzania.
Eurasian migrants flock to Ruaha twice a year – March to April and October to November –

Best months for game viewing are during the dry season from July to November, when the animals are concentrated around the shrinking water-courses.
The park has an airstrip for light aircraft on the western bank of the river.

Getting there:
Up to a ten-hour drive, or a one-and-a-half-hour flight, from Dar es Salaam.