Ruaha National Park

Ruaha national park is one of Africa’s great wilderness parks, offering outstanding big game viewing. The name of the park is derived from the Great Ruaha River, which runs along its south-eastern margin. In 2008 the Usangu Game reserve fused its borders with Ruaha transforming it into Tanzania’s largest national park; it now covers more than 20,000km².

The park is divided into four unalike habitats consisting of mixed miombo woodland, albida woodland along the main river courses, undulating hills dominated by baobabs and areas of open ‘black cotton’ grassland. The Great Ruaha River, numerous waterholes, swamps and seepage areas provide the park with a lasting supply of water, but there are also several sand rivers.

Mammal viewing is splendid, mainly in the dry season (June to October) when the animals are forced to flock around the water sources.

Ruaha has all the predators on show, with very good lion, leopard and cheetah as well as wild dog and hyena. Buffalo and elephant herds are found throughout the park but it is the park's crazy combinations of species from east and southern Africa that excites wildlife and birdwatching enthusiasts with more than 540 species recorded.

Zebra, giraffe, lion, leopard, waterbuck, roan and sable antelope, impala, hippo, eland, greater and lesser kudu, and Grant’s gazelle are just some on the many species to be seen.