Ruaha National Park

A much smaller park than Nyerere National Park, Ruaha sits, almost, in the centre of the country and is surrounded by scorched red earth and not much else. Named after the Great Ruaha River that runs through the northern section of the park (and continues east to meet with the Rufiji River), the park is still very much untouched by tourism and the advent of civilisation.

The first striking feature of the park, apart from the red soil, is the baobab trees that mark the horizon in every direction. These archaic and sedentary trees are often found in large forests and make for some remarkable sights on a game drive. Another remarkable feature of the park is the large populations of lion that inhabit. Often seen in prides of up to 25 and even thirty, the lions of Ruaha are often seen taking on the mighty cape buffalo that wander the plains and it is one of the only places in Africa that this phenomenon can be seen regularly. (if this is your thing then the Duba Plains to the east of Botswana’s Okavango Delta is definitely a must visit for you where the lion prides here have made it a speciality!)

Do see our best camps & lodges in Ruaha National Park picks for 2026/27 on this page.

Due to the distance (and cost) involved in getting here, many safari goers tend not to bother making the trip and so there are only a select few options for accommodation….but this is a good thing…trust us!

The range that there is caters to pretty much everyone with low impact tents to luxurious lodges all being on offer. For us, the best game is to be seen north of the central areas of the park around confluence of the Mwagusi and Ruaha rivers and across near the Mdonya River.

Do see our best camps & lodges in Ruaha National Park picks for 2026/27 on this page.

With access into and out of the park being non-existent in the wetter months from November to December and March to May, the prime period to visit would probably be from June to November and again from January to March.

Do see our interactive best time to visit Ruaha National Park guide on this page as well as on our parent guide to tanzania page for more in-depth information on when to go.

Or call us on +44 1525 840 149. That’s what we’re here for.

As much as AI has changed the way we all approach our lives, there is still no substitute for picking up the phone and having a chat through the options with one of us on +44 1525 840 149

This allows us to completely tailor the property choices, costs and itinerary length to your needs…but we also understand that this is not always possible with the busy lives we all lead.

With this in mind, we have also put together a safari finder tool that should help you to narrow down the initial stages at which point we can jump in to “round off the edges” as it were.

Alternatively please feel free to send us an email with your timings, group size and rough likes and dislikes and we can get the ball rolling.

As much as AI has changed the way we all approach our lives, there is still no substitute for picking up the phone and having a chat through the options with one of us on +44 1525 840 149

This allows us to completely tailor the property choices, costs and itinerary length to your needs…but we also understand that this is not always possible with the busy lives we all lead.

With this in mind, we have also put together a safari finder tool that should help you to narrow down the initial stages at which point we can jump in to “round off the edges” as it were.

Alternatively please feel free to send us an email with your timings, group size and rough likes and dislikes and we can get the ball rolling.