Ruaha National Park (NP) is a park of 5,000 square miles in south-central Tanzania and was originally part of the Rungwa Game Reserve. The Ruaha National Park Safari is one of the best in the southern-central circuit of Tanzania.
Located 6 miles west of the town of Iringa, Ruaha was officially made a national park in 1964.
It is the 2nd largest national park in Tanzania and unique due to its wilderness area and game viewing in a fascinating landscape comprising plains, forested highlands, significant rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
A safari in Ruaha National Park Tanzania offers visitors the chance to go on guided walking safaris and see big wildlife on game drives including large numbers of elephants along the Great Ruaha River, huge crocodiles, grunting hippos as well as buffaloes, kudus, and sable antelope.
Ruaha is popular with Tanzania honeymoon safaris also due to the breathtaking scenery, range of big game wildlife viewing on show, superior luxury lodges on offer, and bird watching to rival Selous Game Reserve (Nyerere National Park) and the Ngorongoro Crater.
Visitors on this African safari can also make use of hot air balloons to view the incredible range of wildlife from above as well as being one of the best places in East Africa to see big cats and the African wild dog.
Accommodation is also excellent with numerous luxury lodges and camping grounds.
Visitors will be in awe of the variety and numbers of large animals with the big five presents including the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo as well as the cheetah, zebra, kudu, bushbuck, roan and sable antelope, hartebeest, the crocodile, and the hippo, amongst others.
In addition, with large herds of elephants and 10% of the world’s lion population, the park is also known for harboring smaller animals including monitor lizards and snakes.
Over 450 species of birds can be found here, particularly by the riverside waters including the glossy ibis and hadada, fish eagle, kingfisher, goliath, night heron, stilts, storks, scops, and pearl-spotted owls. The giant eagle owl is also sighted regularly.
Lying in the Eastern (Great) Rift Valley, the park, established in 1964, consists mostly of rolling plains east of the Great Ruaha River. Vegetation consists of clumps of palms and patches of open grassland; in the north, there are baobab trees & scrubby woodland.
Ruaha National Park Tanzania is full of plants such as the Greater Kudu which can not be found in any other national park and an almost untouched and unexplored ecosystem.
There are multiple activities and things to do in Tanzania that can be added to your safari including walking safaris. Here are some other activities which visitors can consider during their visit:
