Things to do in Ruaha National Park
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Ruaha National Park
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season and the safari season, when game concentrates on the Great Ruaha River and walking and ballooning run.
Peak dry season with the most dramatic predator viewing. October is the hottest month with harsh midday heat.
Cold dawns in camp, sometimes near 10 degrees, with warm days. Pack a warm jacket for open vehicle drives.
Short rains and early green season. November is the value month, with storms, fewer visitors and improving birding.
Green season with the best birding and Palearctic migrants, but dispersed game, muddy tracks and higher malaria risk.
Long rains. Many camps close, flights reduce or pause, and roads are at their worst. Not for a first safari.
What's on
- Palearctic migrant bird arrival From November
Migrant species from Europe and Asia arrive, lifting the bird list toward 570 species through to March.
- Ruaha balloon season 15 June to 31 October
The published operating window for Ruaha Balloon Safaris, an operating season rather than a festival.
Best things to do in Ruaha National Park
Great Ruaha River
The park lifeline, where shrinking dry season pools pull in elephant, buffalo, hippo and the predators that follow them.
Mwagusi Sand River
A seasonal sand river where elephants dig for water and lions use the bed as a highway in the dry season.
Jongomero River
The southern sector river line, emptier and wilder than Msembe, with strong elephant, buffalo and lion viewing.
Iringa Boma - Regional Museum and Cultural Centre
The restored German boma museum in Iringa, the best single hour for Hehe and colonial history before a safari.
Kalenga Historical Site
Chief Mkwawa's former Hehe capital near Iringa, with a small museum and the chiefs' tombs and memorials.
Gangilonga Rock
The rock lookout above Iringa linked to Chief Mkwawa, a short climb for a wide late afternoon panorama.
Neema Crafts
A workshop tour and shop at the Iringa enterprise that trains and employs more than 120 people with disabilities.
Where to stay in Ruaha National Park
Msembe area
first trip, central circuits and all budgets
The park headquarters, the Mwagusi and Great Ruaha River circuits, and camps from bandas to Jabali Ridge in one base.
Ikuka Escarpment
views, guiding and a small luxury camp
One escarpment camp above the Mwagusi River, 20 minutes down to the main game area and unmatched for panorama.
Eastern Ruaha
prime game area and walking in the east
The Ifuguru Sand River country worked by Kigelia Ruaha, with elephants digging in the sand in front of camp.
Jongomero area, southern Ruaha
remote second camp and empty country
A separate airstrip and river system in the far south, a deliberate split stay rather than a day trip from Msembe.
Western Ruaha
simple bush camp and full day drives
Mdonya Old River Camp on its riverbed, with Mdonya Falls nearby and a quieter western circuit.
Central Ruaha
families, groups and a lodge rather than canvas
Ruaha River Lodge on the Great Ruaha River, the largest lodge in the park with chalets and fly camping.
Think twice about
- Iringa as a daily commuting base for Ruaha
The gate is 2 to 3 hours away each way, so a daily commute wastes the dawn and dusk hours the safari is for.
- Dar es Salaam to Iringa road at night
A long highway drive with trucks, poor lighting and thin help. Do the road legs in daylight and arrive before dark.
- Inside the park on foot without a ranger
Walking is only permitted on a guided safari with an armed TANAPA ranger. There is no self guided walking in Ruaha.
Best restaurants in Ruaha National Park
Mama Iringa
Iringa's best table, an Italian restaurant with wood fired pizza and homemade pasta in a garden setting.
Neema Crafts Cafe
A cafe at the Neema Crafts centre with Western and Swahili dishes, good coffee and cakes on a hill view balcony.
Greek Club Iringa
A long running Greek Club restaurant in Iringa serving Greek and grill dishes, a local institution for groups.
Hasty Tasty Too
Inexpensive central Iringa eating, generous local dishes at town prices where drivers and residents eat.
Outdoor things to do in Ruaha National Park
Isimila Stone Age Site
A canyon of eroded sandstone pillars and a museum of Stone Age tools, about an hour's guided walk near Iringa.
Igeleke Rock Paintings
Ochre rock paintings of people and animals on a shelter wall near Iringa, visited on a short guided walk.
Mdonya Falls
Seasonal falls on the Mdonya River near Mdonya Old River Camp, reached only as a camp based guided outing.
Kichaka Expeditions
The specialist Ruaha walking operation, running multi day walking safaris with fly camping in the dry season.
Ruaha Balloon Safaris
Dawn balloon flights over the river systems in the dry season, about an hour followed by a bush breakfast.
Usangu Wetlands
Expedition wetland and floodplain country in the south west, reached only as a guest of the camp that works it.
Best hotels in Ruaha National Park
Jabali Ridge
Asilia's flagship Ruaha camp among granite boulders above the Mwagusi River, with a pool, spa and top guiding.
Ikuka Safari Camp
A six room owner run camp on the Ikuka Escarpment above the Mwagusi River, known for guiding, food and views.
Jongomero Camp
A luxury camp on the Jongomero River in the remote south, with its own airstrip and flexible game drives.
Kigelia Ruaha
Nomad's six tent camp under sausage trees on the Ifuguru Sand River, simple in style and luxury in guiding.
Mwagusi Safari Camp
A traditional camp of tents in thatched bandas on the Mwagusi River bank, in a prime game viewing location.
Kwihala Camp
Asilia's simpler adventure camp in the central game area, buying Asilia guiding below Jabali Ridge pricing.
Mdonya Old River Camp
A simple camp of 12 Meru tents on the old Mdonya riverbed, valued for guiding, food and a true bush feel.
Ruaha River Lodge
A lodge of 24 stone chalets on a bend of the Great Ruaha River, with game viewing from your own veranda.
Is Ruaha National Park expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | TZS 390,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | TZS 1,560,000 a person |
| Splurge | TZS 3,640,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Mdonya Falls: weeks ahead
- Kichaka Expeditions: months ahead
- Ruaha Balloon Safaris: weeks ahead
- Usangu Wetlands: months ahead
- Jabali Ridge: months ahead
- Ikuka Safari Camp: months ahead
- Jongomero Camp: months ahead
- Kigelia Ruaha: months ahead
- For August to October, book Jabali Ridge, Ikuka Safari Camp, Jongomero Camp and Kigelia Ruaha many months ahead.
- Book TANAPA bandas and the Msembe Public Campsite in advance through TANAPA for peak weeks.
- Confirm in one written itinerary the camp, airstrip, carrier, park fees, evacuation cover and walking arrangements.
Is Ruaha National Park safe?
- Ruaha is a malaria area year round. Take prophylaxis advice, use repellent and nets, and cover up at dusk.
- There is no hospital in the park and evacuation depends on daylight, weather and an airstrip, so evacuation insurance is essential.
- Never walk in camp alone after dark, never walk in the park without a ranger, and stay in the vehicle unless your guide says otherwise.
Ruaha National Park travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A one night Ruaha stay or a day trip from Iringa spends the best game hours on the road.
- Assuming there is a restaurant scene in the park leads to disappointment: eating is at your camp or self catered.
- A green season camp or flight listing in an old guide is not a guarantee it operates in April or May.
- Quoted camp rates vary sharply by season, so a green season price is not a dry season price.
Getting around Ruaha National Park: public transport and more
- Fly Dar es Salaam to Msembe Airstrip for central camps or Jongomero Airstrip for the south, with a soft bag limit of about 15 kg.
- By road, Dar es Salaam to Iringa is about 500 km and Iringa to the gate a further 110 to 130 km, the last stretch gravel.
- Your camp meets the airstrip flight. There are no taxis, hire cars or public transfers at a Ruaha airstrip.
- Self drive needs a high clearance vehicle, a 4x4 in the wet season, a full tank from Iringa and daylight only driving.
Who Ruaha National Park suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Ruaha National Park your trip
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