Ruaha National Park

Superb safari in Ruaha NP

Me and two of my friends started our three day, three night safari by flying in to Ruaha Mwakusi airstrip. From there we were picked up by our guides and headed out to the wild. We had excellent guide crew, they had wide knowledge of animals and plants and were really nice company for us. Also the bush lunches they served us were really tasty.

Ruaha is full of animals, already during the first hours of the first day we saw huge amount of them, including lions and leopard. And the same continued the following days, possibly the biggest highlight was watching pack of four cheetah to stalk their prey for few hours. Overall we counted that we saw something like thirty different mammals, and at least as many birds. Scenery of the park was very nice, there was a lot of variety and not just flat plans. It was also not crowded at all there, we perhaps saw one or two other cars there, so we were pretty much on our own all the time.

We stayed at the Mdonya Old River camp, which is open area where animals can (and will) roam freely. We enjoyed listening to the nightly noises around our tents, we preferred that over lodge accommodation. Everything worked smoothly in the camp, and the dinners they made us were of highest quality. Exchanging experiences of the day at campfire with other travelers was nice ending for a day.

I can fully recommend Ruaha for your safari destination, you will enjoy the peace you have compared to the other crowded parks and all it has to offer. One of us has been in many parks in Africa before, and he considered it possibly the best experience he has had so far. I can easily believe him.

The Great Ruaha River is the centrepiece of this wonderful park. It is remote, wild and very beautiful. The baobab trees constitute one of many highlights, providing a dramatic backdrop for the wildlife and birds that abound. Special sightings could include lesser kudu and the Tanzanian red-billed hornbill. (My tip: Don't miss the wonderful museum dedicated to Chief Mkwawa of the Hehe tribe near Kalinga on your way in. It is well worth a stop!)

Closer to Dar, this is a better-known park, with also plenty of wildlife. Big cats often spotted.

Ruaha has big and natural beautiful animals seems to be close to Katavi but Katavi still the best.

Less touristy compared to the Northern Parks. A bit less wildlife, but feeling-into-the-wild rating is great!! You can chase wildlife without meeting other tourists for hours!!

Although the wildlife is a bit more elusive, you will have this park virtually to yourself. And it is a vast expanse of river, woodland and grassy plain open to exploration. If you self drive, you must endure the long, rough access road. But you can camp anywhere, with no neighbors except the odd cheetah. Safari as it is meant to be.

remote and free of mass turism...

Not found a better competitor to my friends Fox family Ruaha River Lodge! Am biased but its value for money.

An amazing and exciting safaritrip!

Coming from the Netherlands we drove from Iringa to Ruaha National Park to stay there at the Ruaha River Lodge next to the river Ruaha. The accomodation was stunning. Sitting on the veranda the wildlife was passing on the riverside in front of our eyes. Elephants, girafs, impala's, lions, baboons, all kinds of birds, crocodile and the amazing hippo-pool in front of our logde. The lodge itself was comfortable and clean.
The food in the restaurant was very good as well as the wine.
We had our own transportation, so we hired a guide, who did his job very well, and saw a lot of animals.
Highlights were 2 occasions with elephants: First we saw on the riverside more then 45 elephants, a kind of gathering, while we were enjoying the vieuw relaxing on the veranda of the lodge. Second was a scary one: an elephant mother (matriarch) was protecting her herd and she came to attack us. But the guide helped by putting off the motor and explaining what we had to do. It was really an adventure! One we will never forget.
The scenery is magnificent, especially the vieuw at the river looking to the mountains on sunset and sunrise.
The weather was in june not too hot and comfortable.

Our visits to Tanzania were among the most memorable experiences of my life

All aspects of our visit to Ruaha National Park were excellent. Our daughter worked for several years for the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal in Arusha, Tanzania, and while she was there my wife and I visited her twice, once in 2003 and once in 2005. Our arrangements for tours and guides were a bit unique, in that our daughter used her local contacts to arrange for tours and guides, and all of those arrangements turned out to be absolutely excellent. During our visits to Tanzania we visited the Ngorongoro crater, the Serengeti plains, The Oldavi gorge, northern Ethiopia, and my daughter and I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. All of our experiences were thrilling, and I would not hesitate to recommend a visit to that part if the world to anyone.