Ruaha National Park

What and Where It Is

Ruaha lies about 130 km west of the town of Iringa. It became a national park in 1964, carved out of the southern part of the Rungwa Game Reserve, and grew to its current size in 2008 when the Usangu wetlands were added. The landscape is rocky and dry, with baobabs, miombo woodland and sand rivers that stay dry for much of the year.

Wildlife and Activities

The wider Ruaha landscape is thought to hold around 10 percent of Africa's lions, and prides can be large. It is also an important area for cheetah and African wild dog. Elephants are still numerous, though the population fell from about 34,000 in 2009 to around 15,800 in 2015 because of poaching.

Ruaha's antelope list is what sets it apart: greater and lesser kudu, sable, roan, eland and Lichtenstein's hartebeest all share the park. More than 570 bird species have been recorded. Game drives are the main activity, and some camps offer guided walks.

Best Time to Go

June to October is the dry season and the best time for wildlife, as animals concentrate along the Great Ruaha River. It gets hot by October. November and December are good for birding as migrants arrive. Some camps close during the heaviest rains. Our month-by-month safari guide covers the regional patterns.

Getting There and How Long to Stay

Scheduled light-aircraft flights land at the Msembe and Jongomero airstrips from Dar es Salaam and Arusha. Because it takes time to get here, give Ruaha four or five nights. It pairs well with Nyerere National Park for a southern Tanzania trip, or with the northern parks for a longer one.

Where to Stay in Ruaha

Ruaha has a small number of camps, most of them near the Great Ruaha River and its sand-river tributaries, with a few in the quieter Jongomero area. We do not yet feature a Ruaha camp on our site, so get in touch and we will match a camp to your dates and style of travel.