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Male lion resting on dry ground

Southern Tanzania · Southern wilderness

Ruaha

Tanzania's largest park: baobab hills, sand rivers and exceptional numbers of lion and wild dog, with very few vehicles.

Best time
Jun–Oct
Getting there
Light aircraft from Arusha or Dar es Salaam
We suggest
3–4 nights
Known for
Big lion prides, kudu, elephant
The landscape

Where east meets south

Ruaha is one of Tanzania’s largest national parks, and one of its least visited. Baobab-studded hills roll down to the Great Ruaha river and its sand-river tributaries, which dry to ribbons of sand where animals dig for water.

It sits where the wildlife of east and southern Africa overlap: miombo woodland meets acacia savanna, and greater and lesser kudu, sable and roan share the park with elephant, big lion prides and African wild dog.

Lion pride resting on a grassy rise in early light
Why go

The best of Ruaha

  1. A full day on the Mwagusi with a picnic in the riverbed
  2. Walking with an armed ranger along the sand rivers
  3. Dinner by lantern light on the dry riverbed
  4. A sighting all to yourselves
Wildlife

What you may see in Ruaha

Wild animals keep their own schedule — these are the species our guides know best here.

  • Lion

    Large prides that hunt buffalo and sometimes young giraffe.

  • Greater & lesser kudu

    Both species, which is rare in one park.

  • Elephant

    A large population, digging for water in the sand rivers.

  • African wild dog

    Packs range widely; sightings are a bonus.

  • Sable & roan

    Handsome antelope of the miombo woodland.

When to go

Ruaha through the year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Game on the rivers
Walking safaris
Green season & birds

Many camps close in April and May, when the rains are heaviest.

  • Quiet
  • Fair
  • Good
  • Peak

Tap a cell to see the month.

Where to go

Parts of the park

  1. Mwagusi sand river

    The busiest stretch for predators in the dry season, with camps on its banks.

  2. Great Ruaha river

    Permanent pools with hippo and crocodile, and elephant crossing at dusk.

  3. Mdonya gorge

    Rocky country with kudu and leopard.

  4. Jongomero

    The remote south-west, with almost no other vehicles.

Good to know

Before you go to Ruaha

Getting there
Scheduled light aircraft from Arusha, Dar es Salaam or Nyerere.
Pairs well with
Nyerere for boats and wild dog, or Zanzibar for the coast.
Safaris

Journeys that include Ruaha

All safaris
Lion pride resting on a grassy rise

9 days · 8 nights Remote wilderness

The Southern Wild

Sand rivers, walking safaris and boat safaris in the parks most visitors never reach.

Ruaha · Nyerere

From $8,200 pp

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Destinations

Explore more of Tanzania

Dirt road across the green Serengeti plains

Serengeti

Plains & kopjes

Endless short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes — the stage for big cats, and for the migration as it moves through.

Best: Jun–Oct · Jan–Mar

Mist rolling along the Ngorongoro crater rim

Ngorongoro Crater

Caldera floor

A collapsed volcano holding 260 square kilometres of grassland, soda lake and forest, with resident wildlife year round.

Best: Jun–Oct

Baobab tree above the Tarangire bush

Tarangire

Baobabs & elephant

Great elephant herds along a single dry-season river, under some of the oldest baobabs in East Africa.

Best: Jul–Oct

Lionesses on a fallen tree

Lake Manyara

Rift escarpment

Groundwater forest, an alkaline lake and the wall of the Rift Valley within a compact, easily added park.

Best: Jun–Oct

Hippos surfacing in the river

Nyerere / Selous

Rivers & boating

The Rufiji river system opens up safari by boat and on foot, alongside classic game drives.

Best: Jun–Oct

Cape buffalo bull lying in dry grass

Mahale / Katavi

Remote & wild

Chimpanzee tracking in forested mountains above Lake Tanganyika, paired with the floodplains of Katavi.

Best: Jul–Oct

Trekkers climbing a heath-covered mountain ridge

Kilimanjaro

Roof of Africa

Africa's highest peak, climbed over six to nine days on the Lemosho, Machame or Rongai routes.

Best: Jan–Mar · Jun–Oct

Horse riding along a white-sand beach at low tide

Zanzibar

Indian Ocean

Reef, dhows and Stone Town — the natural pause at the end of a safari.

Best: Jun–Oct · Dec–Feb

View from an escarpment over the valley under a passing storm

Arusha & Lake Eyasi

Culture & arrival

Where journeys begin, and where time with Hadzabe and Datoga communities adds a cultural layer.

Best: All year

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Plan with us

Plan your time in Ruaha

Tell us your dates and how you like to travel. We will reply with a route and honest pricing within 24 hours.

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