Ruaha

Ruaha is one of Tanzania’s great wilderness areas and, at 20,226 square kilometres in south-central Tanzania, the second-largest national park in the country. TANAPA highlights its vast buffalo herds and thriving elephants, lions, leopards, crocodiles and hippos, and with 574 recorded bird species, including five endemics, it is hard to visit without being impressed by the number and variety of birds.

The greater kudu is the park’s emblem, and here you can see both greater and lesser kudu: TANAPA notes that the park marks the southernmost limit of the lesser kudu’s range in Africa. Wildlife in Ruaha is truly wild, TANAPA stresses, so visitors should keep a safe distance and leave their vehicles only where permitted.

June to October are the peak months, and TANAPA advises booking early for them and for festive periods. In the wet season expect muddy sections and rising rivers, and a four-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended. TANAPA also advises seeking professional medical advice on vaccinations and malaria prevention before travelling to the park, as for anywhere in this region.

Ruaha lies west of Iringa in south-central Tanzania and is reached by road from Iringa via Tungamalenga, with four-wheel drive recommended, especially in the rains. Daily scheduled and charter flights land at Msembe and Jongomero airstrips, with transfers arranged by lodges or tour operators. Park gates close in the early evening, so road arrivals should be planned well before then.