Your Ultimate Guide: Safari in Ruaha National Park
Ruaha National Park is the largest national park in Tanzania. In fact, spanning 20,226 kilometres, Ruaha could be the largest park in the whole of Africa.
Famed for it’s incredible wildlife-spotting opportunities and outstanding wilderness appeal, you’re in for a real treat if you’re heading to Ruaha this year, and our guide aims to prep you for the experience.
A brief history of Ruaha
The park inherited its name from the Great Ruaha River, which flows along the southeastern margin and is the primary focus for many game viewers.
The river itself nestles in between refreshingly green riverbanks that wind through the rocky outcrops and mountains that punctuate Tanzania, and away from the water, the landscape transforms from arid scrublands and grasslands to luscious green leaves once the rain falls.
It is thought that early permanent settlers were dissuaded by the semi-arid climate and high concentrations of tsetse fly, but don’t worry, recent conservation efforts have reduced the levels of flies to make a Ruaha safari a much more enjoyable experience!
George Rushby, a Senior Game Ranger, first proposed transforming the area into a national park in 1949 and two years later everybody was forced out of its protected area. Britain elevated the reserve to full National Park status in 1964, and in 2008, the former Usangu Game Reserve was added to the park, creating the Ruaha National Park we know and love today.
Despite being one of the most popular reserves in Africa, Ruaha retains its original charm, and only a handful of exclusive camps have been set up here, so it remains unspoilt.
Wildlife
Owing to its location (on the convergence zone where northern and southern hemisphere birds and mammal species overlap), Ruaha National Park is home to at least 530 bird species, 1400 plant species, and an incredible array of other animals.
Spotting predators is the main activity here. Lion prides are particularly large in the area, often numbering more than 20 lions to each pride, and cheetahs and leopards can be seen hunting out on the open plains.
Importantly, Ruaha possesses one of the last major strongholds for African wild dog populations, with more than 100 to behold. You’ll easily spot black-backed jackals and spotted hyenas, but keep an eye out for striped hyenas too, as sightings of these elusive hunters are rare to come by thus extra special to achieve.
Elsewhere in the park, you can see buffalo, zebra, Defassa waterbuck, impala, bushbuck, giraffe, Litchenstein’s hartebeest, roan, sable antelope, and greater kudu, who are some of the most handsome horned males you’ll come across anywhere in Africa! If you’re keen to see both greater and lesser kudu, head to the north, as it’s one of the few places you’ll see both.
And of course, Ruaha is home to the largest elephant population in any Tanzanian national park, with 12,000 elephants passing through the Ruaha ecosystem every year.
Birdlife
With an intriguing mix of northern and southern species, birdwatching in Ruaha is unlike anything you’ll have experienced before.
Black-collared lovebird and ashy starling populations are highly visible here, and Ruaha is perhaps the only savannah reserve in east Africa where the crested barbet replaces the red-and-yellow barbet.
Along the rivers, you can expect to find beautiful water birds, including goliath herons, saddle-billed storks, white-headed plovers, and the white-backed night heron. What’s more, there are six species of vultures and hornbills in the area.
If you’re a keen birdwatcher, be sure to visit from mid November to March, as this is when the migrant bird numbers swell. During these months, a variety of waders appear along the riverbanks, white and Abdim’s stork flock in, the sooty falcon arrives from the Sahara Desert, and the rare Eleonora’s falcon flies in from the Mediterranean.
Staying in Ruaha
Ruaha has retained its impressive wilderness because there are so few camps to spoil the landscape – and the exclusive selection of camps that have been built here are all luxury standard with an emphasis on small, authentic set-up.
Kwihala Camp is one of the most popular camps within the area, and in fact, within the whole of Africa.
Set in a prime central Ruaha location, Kwihala Camp provides an excellent base for exploring the National Park and is famed for its highly knowledgeable guides, and brilliant vehicle and walking safaris. The comfortable and stylish camp caters for six guests and is relatively easy to reach by air whilst being one of the most affordable camps in the region.
Mwagusi Camp is another fantastic option. It is a quirky, comfortable, and stylish owner-hosted lodge (which is rare in this area), complete with thirteen guest rooms. Just like the Kwihala Camp, the Mwagusi Camp has a first-rate reputation for guided safaris, and local wildlife viewing is exceptionally strong during the dry season (June-November).
Getting here
The Ruaha National Park may be pretty far from Dar (which is why so few people come here) but with daily Coastal Aviation and Safari Airlink flights from Dar es Salaam, it’s still accessible. Once you land at Ruaha’s local airstrip, you’ll be collected by a representative from your lodge and transferred straight to your camp, ready for the adventures to begin.
For anyone looking for a top quality, remote, and unspoilt location in Africa, a safari in Ruaha National Park is hard to beat. To find out more about traveling to this wonderful reserve, visit Africa Travel Resource today
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