Ruaha National Park has recently been combined with the Usangu Game Reserve making the largest National Park in Africa covering over 15,000 sq km. This new park is at the heart of a much larger ecosystem covering over 40,000 sq km. The highlight of a trip to Ruaha is watching the huge elephant herds (the greatest concentration in Africa!), gathered around the mighty Ruaha River; the lifeblood of the park.

Carnivore Info. Ruaha National Park is rich in carnivorous species including the big cats like lions, leopards, cheetahs and the like. The lions of Ruaha can be seen in large prides of up to 20 individuals. This is indeed a unique feature which is attractive to most of the visitors. Several packs of Wild dogs are frequently seen in this park, though because of their mobility and big home ranges, the certainty is not guaranteed. Cheetahs can be seen in sparsely distributed bushes in the grasslands.

Birds of Ruaha National Park. For bird enthusiasts, the park is one of the birds’ paradises in Africa with more than 540 bird species which is one of the highest bird diversity in East Africa, an excitement that can be enjoyed by both casual observers and serious birders; this diversity is considered to be influenced by various factors such as topography, vegetation zones, transition between Sahel/ Sudan and Zambesian Miombo woodlands.

Antelope’s Diversity. This park is also unbeatably rich in antelope species, and is among few areas in East Africa where you can see a diversity of antelopes in one game drive. The species includes Eland, Kudu, Sable and Roan, Impala, Klipspringer, Dik dik, Bushbuck, Waterbuck and Reedbuck. Ruaha National Park is the Southern limit of Grant’s gazelle to the South of Tanzania.

Elephants of Ruaha. Ruaha National Park is known for its highest concentration of Elephants in East Africa. For this reason, Elephants become the icon of the park. In the dry seasons several groups can easily be seen along the Great Ruaha River, Magus River and Mzombe River. In the sand rivers, elephants use their trunks to dig for water.

Best time to visit. The best time to visit is between July and November when the animals congregate around water holes, but the park is stunning all year round. Their cover is blown during the dry season (May to December), when the foliage dies down and animals become easier to see. Twice a year in March/April and October/November, Eurasian migrating birds arrive to boost the already high numbers of exotic and colorful species in this park.

Getting there. There are both scheduled and charted flights into the park from Arusha and Dar es salaam.