Ruaha National Park

As a university student, we went on a trip through Tanzania, Ruaha was one of our stops. It was my first safari experience, and it made me hungry for more... It was a great park. We had an amazing time driving around, looking for wildlife and enjoying the scenery. The river was a hotspot for wildlife, including hippos and crocodiles. The plains give you a great opportunity to scan for wildlife. We stayed in tents near the river (not sure if it was an existing campsite, or it was just made for us). The noises were amazing. Something I do remember is seeing a cell phone tower in the distance. It was great for phone coverage, but it didn't fit the picture (it was very far away though, probably most people will not notice it). I enjoyed every minute in the park, but the most memorable moment was the bush walk. We went on foot with a ranger along the riverbank. It was an amazing feeling, it kind of exposes you as you know you are vulnerable. Overall, it was a great experience! Definitely worth a visit.

Ruaha was probably the most splendid park we have spent time in. Beautiful baobab valley on the way there and hundreds of elephants inside the park along with all other kind of wild life did make a huge impression.

I did a safari in Ruaha three years ago. It was my first experience on African soil. I was overwhelmed by its scope, its mammals and my nights spent in lodges. Unforgettable. And, yes, poaching exists. My guides showed me an elephant that had been killed 10 days earlier. Its head removed by chainsaws. My photos allow me to educate my friends on the horrific slaughtering of the pachyderm. I very much enjoyed visiting a park with little tourists. It was a bit as if I'd had my own private tour. Do not hesitate to do a safari in Ruaha, Tanzania. ____________________________________________________________________ J'y ai fait un safari de 3 jours. C'était ma première expérience en sol africain. J'ai été conquise par son étendue, ses mammifères et mes nuits passé en lodge. Mémorable. Eh oui le braconnage existe. Mes guides m'ont guidé vers un éléphant mort 10 jours plus tôt. Sa tête sciée à la scie mécanique. Maintenant au pays, mes photos me permette de sensibiliser mes amis-ies, à l'hécatombe du pachyderme. J'ai beaucoup aimé de visiter un parc sans touriste à grand échelle. C'est un peu comme si j'avais eu un tour privé. N'hésitez surtout pas. Accueil et souvenir mémorables.

Ruaha National Park is a remote, peaceful, isolated and beautiful Tanzanian Park. This park offers unmatched game drive experience with less vehicle in the park in comparison with northern Tanzanian Parks. The environment at Ruaha is wild, authentic and untouched in comparison to Northern Parks. Predators in the park have higher concentration than other southern parks and it is a paradise for Elephant lovers and you will find pack/groups of elephants every here and there in the park. On the banks of Ruaha River, You can enjoy a natural/guided walk. You will enjoy the walk at most as the park is also home to more than 400 birds species. Witnessing crocodiles on the Ruaha river bank or facing a group of more than 20 elephants can as fascinating and memorable for a lifetime as anything. Finally, just to conclude the beauty of the park, Any safari to Southern Tanzania is incomplete if it does not include Ruaha National Park. The Most amazing views, authentic wildlife, pleasant viewing, peaceful environment and pleasant weather awaits for you at the park.

Having visited Ruaha last September during the dry season, I was eager to return after the rains had come as I know what a dramatic change it can be in Southern Tanzania. While the animals tend to concentrate along the river during the dry season making for a prolific game drive, there are still many animals to be seen during the green season. However, with the trees in full-leaf and the grass much taller, you have to be more tuned into your surroundings in order to spot the animals. You see one or two elephants and suddenly 3-4 materialize out of the bush so silently. The colors of the animals also seem more vibrant against the green landscape. Overall, I would recommend that one should try to visit the park in both seasons, and if I had to choose, I would definitely go in Jan or Feb. I stayed at a lodge in the park and had a mixed experience given that the windows were only screened therefore when there was heavy rain during the night, the wind & rain blew into the room. As well during the wet season, it is best to check your bed sheets for spiders etc. As the lodge is situated on the Ruaha River, the nocturnal sounds of the hippos can either be exciting or disturbing as they continue throughout the night calling and snorting amongst each other. However the morning brings a brilliant sunrise over the mountains along with hippos, birds and occasional lions returning from the hunt. If you like to be away from the crowds and not in a convoy of safari vehicles then this is a park for you!

I visited Ruaha on the heels of visiting Selous. I thought the two would be very similar and, in some respects, they were. But, Ruaha has even more dense foliage and less visitors. So, the animals were a bit harder to spot, but there were less crowds. I prefer northern Serengeti because of the closed-sided vehicles and because you can do a private safari. Oh, and the tsetse flies were pretty bad in Ruaha! Wear light coloured clothing.

After spending time in northern Tanzania, I wasn't prepared for the marked change in climate in southern Tanzania. Ruaha is dense with foliage and has tsetse flies and mosquitoes galore. If you can look past that, it's what I thought a safari was supposed to be! We saw a fair number of lions and were pleasantly surprised at the paucity of fellow tourists. We were only there a few days before heading to Selous, but I would return...with ample light colored clothing!

When we first visited Tanzania we were told Tanzania's best kept secret was Katavi national park. And after an awesome visit there, we were told there was another contender for this exquisite title. The contender, as advised, was a natural, authentic, wild experience. Game was plenty here, there was less crowds and affordable superb game viewing experience. Curiosity kept us asking more and more about this park, and the more info we were fed the more our interest grew. Located on the southern circuit is Ruaha National Park, the largest park in Tanzania. We chartered a flight from Arusha to Msembe airstrip located inside the park. Our stay was at the mwagusi camp , a renowned camp located in the middle of r.n.p known for exquisite and world class service. Our first game drive was beyond expectation, our guide Samson was terrific, spotting leopards hiding in a thicket hundreds of metres away, he was in tune with us, keeping us alert with his spot-on facts about the area. At no one point were we bored. Herds of over 100 buffaloes and elephants were a constant sight here. Prides of lions parading their cubs also kept our cameras and binoculars busy. Giraffes,jackals , hyenas, cheetahs and an extremely wide variety of birds were also on offer. It was rare to bump into visitors in the park, so we had all this game to ourselves. One couldn't concentrate on one location for long as the variety of game was just tremendous. One had to be greedy so as to absorb all this game. After the visit I can completely concur on the number one contender title for Ruaha national park as Tanzania's best kept secret.