Ruaha National Park

With its 20,226 sq km Ruaha National Park former biggest National Park in Tanzania (now the Nyerere National Park), also making it one of the largest protected areas in East Africa, and is located in south-central Tanzania. The national park has its name from the Great Ruaha River, which flows along its entire eastern boundary and is the focus for game-viewing, which also becomes one of the main water sources during dry-season.

With only a handful of visitors Ruaha National Park remains untouched and unexplored. With its pristine ecosystem size and unique location it is most likely that Ruaha National Park will continue experiencing only a few visitors each year. This makes Ruaha National Park a perfect choice for an off the beaten track itinerary.

Ruaha is located where two vegetation zones meet, the Zambezian and the Sudanian, making this national park a mix of tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, shrublands and drier grasslands and acacia savannas, providing a varied and interesting wildlife with a stunning scenery to explore.

Ruaha National Park is a birder’s paradise, by being home to more than 571 species of birds. Other than providing a spectacular birding, Ruaha is also the place to find the magnificent Greater Kudu. Home to many rare wildlife species such as the Sable & Wild dogs. Giraffes, Zebras, Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs and many more without forgetting the Crocodiles & Hippos are in abundance.

Not only does the water supply of this national park serve for the wildlife within it, but also for human beings. Making this national park economically significant as it supports agricultural activities and contributes to hydro-electric power.

Climate

Ruaha National Park has temperatures ranging from 16 – 27 °C.

Ruaha National Park enjoys only one rainy season, dry season is between June and October and its wet season is November to May with annual average rainfall ranging from 500 to 800mm. The park is located at an altitude between 750 and 1868 meters.

Best time to visit

Ruaha National Park can be visited all year around, however game viewing is at its best during the dry season. Animals are drawn to the Great Ruaha River and other water sources. Ruaha’s dry season is between June and October.

Accessibility

The park is accessible by road and air.

Road: From Iringa town it is 108 km to the main gate (Y-Junction), 625 km from Dar es Salaam. For the guests who want to visit this park in combination with the Northern circuit parks and explore the country by road, we drive from Karatu to Dodoma for overnight 7-8hrs drive and further to Ruaha on the second day, a great way to explore the country and its people.

Air: Daily scheduled flights from Dar es Salaam and Arusha are the easiest way to Ruaha.

Accommodation

As regarding accommodation when visiting Ruaha National Park the park has a public and special campsites, as well as a hostel, self-catering bandas and cottages. And for more comfort the park has numerous lodges and permanent camps.

Activities

  • Walking Safari
  • Game drives
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"Awesome safari with an experienced guide."

Yasin is an excellent driver and a very experienced guide, who dicovers even the ear of a lion hiding in the grass in a distance of 50 meters. So we have been lucky to see a lot of animals. Therefore our Safari was an awesome experience. We also received lots of information about the animals, the National Parks, the country of Tansania and the people living there. Since he is very humorous guy, we had a lot of fun, too. Thanks Yasin for a very special and fantastic time.

"Just top notch. Great guide, brilliant driver and wonderfully positive to have around."

Can’t recommend Yasin highly enough. Endlessly informative with an almost sixth sense of where the animals are likely to be. Also a funny and ever positive travelling companion who contributed much to a family holiday of a lifetime.

"The most beautiful experience in our lives"

We had a three-day safari with Yasin. Yasin gave us a very warm welcome right from the start and made us feel very familiar and friendly. It didn’t feel like a tour with a guide. We felt that we were in good hands and were able to enjoy the safari. We particularly liked the fact that Yasin always involved us in everything. For example, we were able to decide when our day began or ended. Yasin was able to tell us a lot about the wildlife, but also about the culture and the country. He was in constant contact with his colleagues, which gave us a good opportunity to see the BIG5. The moment of our engagement was very special for us. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you once again, dear Yasin. Thank you for your support and the great picnic spot. You were so well prepared, always took care of everything and made our dream come true. We will never forget these moments and we will never forget you. Stay healthy and as cheerful as we got to know you. Kind regards from Bremen (Germany) Jessica & Brian

"unglaublich eindrucksvolle Reise"

Wir waren vom 26.7. bis zum 05.8. mit Yassin auf Safari. Alles klappte wunderbar, von der Abholung am Flughafen bis zum Ende der Reise. Wir erfuhren von ihm unglaublich viel über Land und Menschen und Tierwelt. Er kannte sich in allen Themen, zu denen wir neugierig waren, aus. Die Gamedrives in den Naturparks waren perfekt. Wir entdeckten unendlich viele Tiere und er zeigte uns nicht nur die Tiere, die viele Touristen ausschließlich sehen wollen, sondern die so unendlich artenreiche Tierwelt. Die Serengeti war natürlich extrem eindrucksvoll. Vor allem die große Tiermigration, bei der wir Dank Yassin einen Platz in der ersten Reihe hatten. Eindrucksvoll auch die Unterkünfte dort, so nah an der Natur und voller perfekten Service. Das ist wahrer Luxus. Das Auto und auch der Transport in ihm war komfortabel. Kurz zusammengefasst: eine unglaublich eindrucksvolle, sichere, individuelle, sehr inhaltsreiche und unvergessliche Reise. Vielen vielen Dank

"Wonderful and Committed guide with a huge passion for his work🦩"

My family and I were so lucky that we had Hussein as our guide! He were really passionate about his work, which resulted in us learning so much about the nature we went to, seeing a lot of different animals meanwhile having a truly comfy trip where you felt safe all the time☺️ I will truly recommend Hussein as a guide for your wildlife adventure 🍀

"Yasin is friendly,competent and attentive"

We spend ten days with Yasin in the Serengeti, Taranguire and Ngorongoro Crater. Yasin, our guide, was always optimally prepared and also discovered the animals that were well hidden. He kept the necessary distance and always showed consideration for the animals. We felt safe and in good hands. Thanks to Yasin we experienced a unique Safaritour that we will never forget. Jürgen and Sabine Preuß

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