Ruaha National Park is the largest national park in Tanzania and exudes a truly wild atmosphere that all our guests adore. Relatively untouched, it is wilder and more remote than its southern neighbor, the Selous Game Reserve, and offers superior wildlife viewing, albeit without boating safaris. Safaris here offer superb value for money and rank among the best in the country. 

Located west of the Selous Game Reserve and south of the Serengeti, Ruaha National Park relative inaccessibility results in fewer tourists than the Selous and less than any comparable park in the Northern circuit. The rewards of traveling to Ruaha National Park include a wild landscape with baobab-studded hills and rocky escarpments, along with exceptional wildlife.

The Ruaha National Park   name comes from the Great Ruaha River, which flows along its southeastern margin and is the focal point for game-viewing. The eponymous Great Ruaha River serves as a lifeline for the park’s wildlife.

The lion viewing in Ruaha is particularly rewarding, with predator concentrations across the park that are better than in many other parks in the country. The park features semi-arid vegetation, including baobab trees and acacias, and boasts over 1,650 identified plant species. In summary, Ruaha National Park is an excellent safari destination and a valuable addition to your great Tanzania safari holiday.

Wildlife in Ruaha National Park

Ruaha safaris are known for their reliably exciting predator concentrations. The park is home to 10% of the world’s lion population, with prides of more than 20 lions not uncommon. It contains one of four cheetah populations in East Africa and has the third-largest wild dog population in the world. Elephants are seen in high densities during the dry season, gathering around the dry riverbed to dig for water with their trunks and front feet.

The park’s unique combination of species from both east and southern Africa excites wildlife and birdwatching enthusiasts. It is not uncommon to see Grant’s gazelle, greater kudu, and lesser kudu in the same area as East Africa’s common species such as zebra, defassa waterbuck, impala, and giraffe. With dedication and exploration, visitors can find sable, roan, hartebeest, and over 570 species of birds, including the eponymous Ruaha red-billed hornbill. This diversity makes Ruaha one of Tanzania’s top birdwatching spots.

Migrant birds from Europe, Asia, Australia, and Madagascar arrive during the rainy season between February and April. The park is also home to numerous reptiles and amphibians, including poisonous and non-poisonous snakes, monitor lizards, crocodiles, agama lizards, and frogs.

When to Visit Ruaha National Park

• June-November: Dry Season
• December: Annual Rains
• January-March: Green Season
• April-May: Closed

Like the Selous, Ruaha is a classic dry season park. The long dry season between June and November is the best time to see large mammals and big cats. Game viewing improves as water holes and rivers dry up, concentrating animals around the remaining water sources. June is also the breeding season for the greater kudu, offering sightings of males with their elegant, twisted horns.

 During the dry season, visitors can expect to see golden savannah studded with baobabs and misty hills stretching along the horizon. Waterbuck, impala, and gazelle come to the river to drink, with predators never far behind. Lions or leopards may be spotted prowling along the banks, cheetahs lying in wait on the plains, and jackals and hyenas skulking for an opportunity to catch their next meal.

For birders, the best time to visit Ruaha is during the rains between February and March, when the migrant birds arrive. The wet season is a time when the park is at its lushest, with baobabs blooming and wildflowers peppering the verdant grasslands. This is also an excellent time for landscape photographers to visit.

Traveling to Ruaha out of season will virtually guarantee solitude, as you may see no other people while on safari. There are areas in the park where game concentrations are good year-round, making it a viable option to visit even in the off-season.

Activities in Ruaha

The main activity in Ruaha is daytime game drives, as night safaris are not allowed. Some camps offer walking safaris, and Jongomero is the only camp that operates fly camping trips with nights under the stars. With the right camera, this offers a great opportunity to take long exposure shots of the night sky as you’ve never seen it before.