RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
Ruaha is
the country’s second largest park and home to Tanzania’s largest elephant
populations. Previous inaccessibility has ensured it has remained virtually
unchanged for centuries. The park has recently been combined with the Usanga
Game Reservecovering over 15,000 sq km and making the largest National
Park in Africa.
Huge elephant herds can be seen gathering
around the Great Ruaha River, which makes the highlight of a trip to Ruaha.
Flowing into the Rufiji River, the Great Ruaha is home to hippo and crocodiles.
Waterbuck, reedbuck and large herds of buffaloes venture to the river’s edge
to drink, attracting the attention of lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and wild
dog. Ruaha’s unusually high diversity of antelope is a function of its location,
Grant’s gazelle, eland, kudu, impala, roan and sable antelope and the tiny
dik-dik thrive in the grasslands bordering the river alongside giraffe, zebra,
wild cat, mongoose, warthog and civet. Sand Rivers are running through the
park, which dry up completely in the dry season and act as roads for the
game to move from waterhole to waterhole.
Birdlife is prolific, especially along the Great Ruaha River, which winds through the eastern side of the park. The park offers over 465 species. The rainy season from January to June is particularly spectacular as the normal abundant birdlife is enhanced by numerous migrant species. Eurasian migrants flock to Ruaha twice a year joining the resident kingfishers, hornbills, sunbirds, egrets and plovers.
Size: 10,300 sq km, Tanzania’s 2nd largest park
Location: Central Tanzania, 128 km west of Iringa.
How to get there: Scheduled and/or regular flights from Dar es Salaam, Selous, Serengeti, Arusha, Iringa and Mbeya. Up to a ten hour drive from Dar es Salaam via Mikumi or from Arusha via Dodoma.
What to do: Day walks and hiking safaris.
When to visit: The park is stunning all year round, but for spotting predators and large mammals, dry season (mid May to December), when the animals are concentrated around the shrinking water-courses and they are easier to see when the foliage dies down. Bird watching, lush scenery and wildflowers, wet season (January-April).
Accommodation :