Ruaha National Park

Ruaha National Park

The Great Ruaha River as other rivers like Mwagusi, Jongomero and Mzombe save as the life line of the park. During dry season, these rivers become mostly the main source of water for wildlife. There are few natural springs saving the same purpose. In the pick of dry season, elephants obtain water from dry sand rivers using their front feet and trunks. The remaining water falls along the Great Ruaha River are also important habitat for hippopotamus, fish and crocodiles.Ruaha National Park has a bimodal pattern of rain forest; the short rainfall season begins November to February, while the long season is between March and April. The annual mean rainfall ranges between 500mm-800mm with the average annual temperature of about 280c. The park experiences its dry season between June and October when the temperature at Msembe headquarter reaches 350c.

The park history dates back to 1910 when it was gazetted Saba Game Reserve by the Germany then the name was changed by British to Rungwa Game reseve in 1946. In 1964 the southern portion of the Game was gazetted as Ruaha national park and in 1974 a small section of South Eastern part of the Great Ruaha River was incorporated into the park. The name “Ruaha” originates from the Hehe word “Ruvaha”, which means “river”. Ruaha National Park is part of Rungwa-Kizigo –Muhesi ecosystem which covers more than 45000km2. In 2008 Usangu game Reserve and other important wetlands in Usangu basin have been annexed into the park, making it the largest park in Tanzania and East Africa with an area of about 20226km2.

Ruaha National Park Facts

• Ruaha National Park is one of the driest and hottest parts of Tanzania.
• The national park is the largest one among all the national parks.
• Ruha is surrounded by many reserved areas and national parks.
• Diversified habitats and landscapes make the park an iconic attraction of Tanzania.
• A large number of lions and around 10,000 elephants can be spotted at the national park.
• The park offers excellent bird watching offer including 500 bird species.
• There are only a few camps inside the national camp which makes it not so crowdie ensuring a perfect safari experience
• The park is considered as the “heaven of the predators” which is home to a good population of lions, leopards, cheetahs, African wild dogs, and other smaller predators