A Trip to Ruaha National Park in Tanzania

A Trip to Ruaha National Park in Tanzania: Ruaha is situated centrally in Tanzania; it is one of the largest and least explored wildlife parks in all of Africa. Unlike some of the commercialized plains of Serengeti and the cratered floor of Ngorongoro, Ruaha presents a genuinely wild Africa that many Californians as well as global citizens would wish to experience. This park which is named after the Great Ruaha River, is by size the largest park in Tanzania and perhaps one of the most unknown. In this article, the reader is to discover the features of Ruaha National Park as a worthy attraction for roaming both for fans of nature and for those who love active holidays.

The Allure of Ruaha National Park

Among the major attractions of Ruaha is its enormous, diverse, and bio-diverse area. Spread over an area of more than twenty thousand square kilometers, the park has wonderful terrains that inhabit numerous wildlife species, a hilly region, extensive grasslands, and acacia woodlands, and also the Ruaha River that runs through the park and is crucial for the growth of plant and animal species.

 – Diverse Wildlife: In Ruaha, there is one of the largest elephant populations in Africa and it is quite possible to meet several tens of these giants. The park also has a feature of high number of carnivores such as lions, leopards, and the wild dog or African wild dog. This park will be a paradise to bird lovers, with over 570 species counted – lilac-breasted roller, Ruaha red-billed hornbill, etc.

 – Untamed Wilderness: Compared to the other parks, Ruaha is relatively less crowded, and the visitors are few; thus, one can have close contact with the wildlife. Filled with vast areas of geographical extent left unaltered by human activities, the park features typically harsh geographical terrains. The feeling of being cut off and out in the bush makes each game drive in Ruaha a real adventure.

Safari Adventures in Ruaha

A visit to Ruaha National Park is almost always associated with the word adventure. The park has different types of tours that one can take with an emphasis on the safari that you wish to undertake varying based on the experience of the tourist.

 – Game Drives: The best means of accessing Ruaha is by Road or air and the most common means of viewing the park is by Game drives which can be day or night drives. These drives expose you to various terrains, the acacia woodlands, miombo forests, the open country, and the rivers. Every drive provides an opportunity for a new view of the park’s wildlife – a pride of lions dozing off under a tree, giraffes browsing in trees, or a herd of zebras grazing in the golden savannah.

 – Walking Safaris: If you want to get a bit more involved, then a walking safari should not be missed. These often involve the use of guidemen who can lead you through the park on a walking tour, it is a good chance to come close to observing trail marks, plants and insects. This together with the fact that a walk through the wilderness of Ruaha gives you an opportunity to come face to face with some of the wildlife in the park enhances the feeling of the adventure in the classic safari.

 – Bird Watching: When it comes to birding, there can be no better place than Ruaha because the park is host to many different kinds of habitats. Birding is best done during the wet period, December to April when many migratory birds are around, and the park is green. From an ornithological standpoint, whether one is an experienced birder or just an interested observer, the astonishing abundance and ornithological charm of Ruaha is plainly irresistible.

Accommodation: Where to Stay

Accommodation in Ruaha is available at various levels of luxury with close-to-nature touches. These are facilities that offer accommodation and at the same time enable the client to have an active feel of the wild end of the park.

 – Luxury Lodges: For a more extravagant lodging option, some such as the Ruaha River Lodge, provide large rooms with marvelous views and 3-course meals as well as most times offering safaris. These are situated in such a way that they are closely situated to areas containing preferential game viewing points.

 – Tented Camps: For a more of authentic experience and being close to the wild as possible one might wish, those luxurious tented camps such as Kigelia Ruaha are ideal. You get spacious comfortable fully serviced tents with beds, and en suite bathrooms, with some having bathtub at outside with a view of the surrounding environment. As a verdict, there are many things that cannot be summed up when you go to bed in a tented camp and wake up to be filled with voices of the African night.

 – Fly Camping: There are also fly camping where some operators take clients in a helicopter fly to the middle of nowhere where the only accommodation is a very basic tent. This is possibly the closest people can get to nature, it is rough, lonely and puts the individuals in touch with nature in ways that one can never imagine.

When to Visit

Ruaha National Park can be visited any time in the year but the dry season is advisable for viewing the game. At this time, the vegetation is minimal and the animals are mostly found around the water sources hence making it easier for one to sight them. But again, the wet season also has its attractions – greenery, flowering plants and trees, and bird lore. Every season provides a unique view on the structure and functioning of the park’s environment.

Conservation Efforts

Ruaha National Park has the important responsibility of contributing to the role of the country in the conservation of wildlife. The park is in the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem system which is crucial to the existence of many species, especially the large predator category. Hunting and human interference are some of the causes that endanger this ecosystem, however, conservation organizations continue to mitigate this by trying to reduce poaching among other issues. In this respect, visitors to Ruaha contribute to such causes since the income generated by tourism helps in the funding of conservation and the improvement of the people’s standard of living.

A Trip to Ruaha National Park in Tanzania: Conclusion

A visit to Ruaha National Park is not a tour, or a wildlife viewing exercise but rather the chance to embark on a journey through one of Africa’s last frontiers. The park is uncrowded and surrounded by wildlife, scenic views, natural and unique geographic features which attracts people in search of adventure. Whether on the road across its great grasslands or hiking on the shores of the Great Ruaha River or just sitting in your camp, the sense one gets of the wilderness that is Ruaha is hard to come by in many other parks in the circuit. For the most real African adventure, then Ruaha National Park is the place to be.