Ruaha National Park

Ruaha National Park is the largest national park in Tanzania. It covers an area of about 13,000 square kilometres. It is located in the middle of Tanzania about 130 kilometres from Iringa. The park is part of a more extensive ecosystem, which includes Rungwa Game Reserve, Usangu Game Reserve, and several other protected areas.

Ruaha National Park takes its name from the Ruaha River, which flows along its southeastern border. The river provides permanent water in the park, and during the dry season there is a large concentration of wildlife along its banks.

The park is rich in flora and fauna with a great variety of wildlife including the rare the Kudu (both Greater and Lesser Kudu), Roan & Sable Antelopes and some endangered species like wild dogs. Ruaha is famous for its large herds of elephants said to have the highest concentration in East Africa. Other animals in the park include buffaloes, lions, leopards, cheetah, giraffes, zebras, elands, impala, bat eared foxes, Jackals, and the hippos and crocodiles which inhabit the river.

Apart from large animals, the park also harbors a number of reptiles and amphibians such as crocodiles, poisonous and non-poisonous snakes, monitor lizards, agama lizards and frogs.

The park is rich in bird life with more than 571species including migrants from within Africa, Europe, Asia, Australian rim and Madagascar.

The park can be reached by Air-There are both scheduled and chartered flights into the park mainly from Arusha, Dodoma, Kigoma and Dar-es-salaam. Park’s airstrips are located at Msembe and Jongomero.  By road-It is about 130km drive from Iringa town and 625km from Dar-es-salaam city.