Reasons to Visit Ruaha National Park : Together with Nyerere National Park and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, Ruaha Park is one of the largest parks in Tanzania and East Africa. It’s known for its diverse flora and fauna, as well as increased predator populations and massive elephant herds, with an estimated 12,000 elephants moving through the Ruaha ecosystem each year. The endangered African wild dog population, as well as fauna such as lions, zebras, jackals, and the bat-eared fox, call Ruaha National Park home. Ruaha National Park is a true African wilderness and one of the world’s most pristine, off-the-beaten-path animal havens. It should be on every wildlife enthusiast’s travel bucket list because it is located off the beaten tourist path in Tanzania’s south.

Why should you visit Ruaha National Park? There are numerous reasons why you should visit Ruaha national park, and if you still want to go but are unsure why, we will show you and explain why you should never Miss Ruaha national park when planning your Africa wildlife safari or Tanzania safari in this post. Ruaha National Park, with its vistas, scenery, vegetation, and wildlife viewing, is one of Tanzania’s best and most attractive national parks. Ruaha National Park is stunning in every way, and it should be on everyone’s bucket list/safari package/adventure itinerary for an African safari. So, what are the reasons of visiting Ruaha National Park? The following are some of the reasons why you should visit Ruaha National Park, whether you are planning a Tanzania safari or an African safari in general.

- It’s one of Tanzania’s biggest national parks.
Ruaha National Park is nearly the same size as Tarangire National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Masai Mara national reserve, and Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park combined, with a total area of 20,226 km2. It is one of the reasons why you should visit Ruaha National Park since its vastness is an attraction in itself, and because it is larger, the park also contains more wildlife to see easily like other well-known Tanzania safari parks like Tarangire national park. The natural beauty of the Ruaha national park may be seen whenever you arrive because it is not destructed by many safari activities like other Tanzanian parks that are commonly frequented. The Ruaha National Park will provide you with a genuine African safari experience.
- It is a Predator Paradise.
Ruaha National Park, like other well-known Tanzanian parks like the Serengeti, Nyerere, and the Selous game reserves, is home to an enormous and globally significant predator population. It boasts the world’s second-largest lion population, maintaining about 10% of Africa’s remaining lions, and is one of only six lion populations with more than 1,000 individuals. It’s also home to one of only four east African cheetah populations, with over 200 individuals, making it a hotspot for Africa’s most exquisite felines. Ruaha national park is also home to the world’s third largest population of endangered African wild dogs, an abundance of leopards, and both striped and spotted hyenas.
- It is uncrowded and off the beaten track.
Ruaha National Park is one of the few African safari parks that can provide you with a genuine African safari experience. Despite being one of Tanzania’s top national parks for wildlife viewing safaris, Ruaha is not as well-known as Serengeti, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and the Ngorongoro conservation area. In short, even during peak season, the Ruaha national park does not get congested, which is the ideal opportunity and advantage for individuals who despise crowded national parks like the Serengeti. Because the park is not overcrowded, visitors will have the impression that they have the entire place to themselves.
- Diverse ecosystems
Ruaha National Park offers a diversified habitat, making it the best place to visit if you want to view an African ecosystem. The park’s lifeblood is the Great Ruaha River, which runs through it, passing through a variety of landscapes ranging from rolling hills to bulbous baobab groves, as well as steep canyons and open plains in the southeast. The park’s diversified scenery is due to its location at the crossroads of two vegetation zones: the Zambezian (characterized by miombo vegetation) and Sudanian (characterized by acacia vegetation).
The Ruaha National Park, once again, serves as a point of convergence for the Eastern and Southern African eco-regions, resulting in a plethora of uncommon and different species. It’s one of the few sites in the world where you may view both greater and lesser kudu, as well as sable and roan antelopes, Grant’s gazelle, eland, Oribi, giraffe, zebra, waterbuck, bushbuck, impala, and large herds of buffalo, to mention a few.
- The best place for walking safaris
A walking safari is the greatest way to experience Ruaha’s spectacular and distinctive landscape. An intimate, guided stroll through the park’s various vegetation adds to the park’s sense of isolation.
- It is a Birding paradise
Ruaha’s location in the south-east convergence zone advantages its bird list, much as it does for mammal species. The birdlife of Ruaha is delightfully colorful, with a fantastic mix of southern and northern species. This region is home to more than half of Tanzania’s bird species.

Fish eagles, Eleanora’s falcon, goliath herons, crested barbets, and black-collared lovebirds are among the 580 bird species seen and reported in Ruaha national park. Ruaha national park is also home to a number of rare species, including the Tanzanian red-billed hornbill, and is a crucial habitat for numerous severely endangered vulture populations.
In conclusion, the Ruaha national park is best visited during the dry season, when animal viewing is greatest, but during the rainy season, when migratory birds from all over the world, including America and Europe, have arrived in the park, the park is best visited for bird watching.
