Travel with Lasi Tours and Safaris

Ruaha National Reserve

Ruaha is one of Tanzania's best kept secrets! It's previous inaccessibility means that this park has remained unchanged for centuries and offers the type of wild safari that early explorers were privy to.

Bordered on the east by the Great Ruaha River and the west by Mzombe River, visitors are struck its the beauty and vast expanse of wilderness stretching down towards the hazy blue hills of the Southern Highlands. The terrain is varied and fascinating with wild fig trees, rare baobab forests and gorges of glowing orange sandstone. The rivers contain swirling rapids and deep pools inhabited by crocodiles and hippos Chief Mkwawa of the Hehe tribe used Ruaha's rocky outcrops as hiding places, when German troops were hunting him in 1895 for killing a German Captain. They finally found him in a cave weak from malaria, but rather than give himself up, he shot his faithful bodyguard and then himself.

Ruaha is known for its large elephant and buffalo herds and one of its principal attractions lies in being able to see greater and lesser kudu as well as the majestic sable and roan antelope within the same area. As well as an abundance of lion, leopard and cheetah it is also home to the increasingly rare African Hunting Dog.
Ruaha is a great year round park due to its good all weather road network. The South West area of Tanzania where Ruaha is located has the lowest rainfall in Tanzania. June to November is driest with the focus of wildlife viewing around the river courses and permanent waterholes.

How to get there

There are two ways guests to our homeland can visit Ruaha National Park. One is through road safari from Dar-es-Salaam taking the A7 high, passing Mikumi National Park and Udzungwa Mountains National Park, and merging off to the west going through the beautiful and gorgeous Iringa Highlands. Once you pass Iringa town heading further southwest, you enter the pristine terrain of the Ruaha ecosystem. Alternative to driving, AfricanMecca can arrange for flight departures from Arusha and Dar-es-Salaam, with our accommodation guides meeting you on your arrival. The best months to visit the Ruaha National Park are between the months of mid-May to the end of December. The green season normally prompts visitors to fly down instead of driving.

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