The game viewing starts the moment the plane touches down. A giraffe races beside the airstrip — all legs and neck, yet oddly elegant in its awkwardness. A line of zebras parades across the runway in the giraffe’s wake. These unforgettable scenes of nature await — come and see them with us!
Welcome to Ruaha — second only to Katavi National Park in its aura of untrammelled wilderness, but far more accessible. Ruaha protects a vast tract of the rugged, semi-arid bush country that characterises central Tanzania. Its lifeblood is the Great Ruaha River, which courses along the eastern boundary as a flooded torrent at the height of the rains, dwindling afterwards to a scattering of precious pools surrounded by a blinding sweep of sand and rock.
A fine network of game-viewing roads follows the Great Ruaha, where seasonal antelope risk their lives for a sip of life-sustaining water. And the risk is considerable — not only from the prides of twenty-plus lions that lord over the savannah, but also from the cheetahs that stalk the open grassland and the leopards that lurk in the tangled riverine thickets. This impressive array of large predators is boosted by both striped and spotted hyenas, as well as several conspicuous packs of the highly endangered African wild dog.
Ruaha has an unusually high diversity of antelope, thanks to its location — transitional between the acacia savannah of East Africa and the miombo woodland belt of southern Africa. Grant’s gazelle and lesser kudu occur here at the very south of their range, and you can watch about 450 bird species.
What to Do?
Day walks or hiking safaris through untouched bush. Visit the Stone Age ruins at Isimila near Iringa, 120km (75 miles) away — one of Africa’s most important historical sites. The park is located in central Tanzania, 128km (80 miles) west of Iringa. At 10,300 square kilometres (3,980 square miles), it is Tanzania’s second biggest park.
Best Time to Visit
For predators and large mammals: the dry season (mid-May to December). For bird watching, lush scenery and wildflowers: the wet season (January to April). The male greater kudu is most visible in June, the breeding season.
How to Get There
Scheduled and charter flights from Dar es Salaam, Selous, Serengeti, Arusha, Iringa and Mbeya. Year-round road access through Iringa Region — from Dar es Salaam (about 10 hours) via Mikumi, or from Arusha via Dodoma.
Accommodation
Luxury lodges, special campsites and public campsites.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT HOW YOU WILL REACH THERE — OBADIA TOURS & EXPLORER SAFARIS IS YOUR CHOICE TO REACH YOUR DREAMS!!