Ruaha National Park Tanzania

T his park is sometimes know       animals are sociable if not noisy  as Giraffe Park as it has       and it is a real treat to see      in excess of 8,000 Maasai       them whilst on a safari drive in   giraffe. The outstanding Kudu is      the park.                          also prolific in this park and                                           when surprised this animal will       Ruaha is probably the most arid    stand as a statue, blending           of Tanzania's parks. It is the     perfectly into the background. It     most southerly extension of the    has been known for visitors to        Maasai Steppes. The Great Ruaha    the park to drive right up to the     River bisects the park. The flora  Kudu before seeing it.                and fauna of southern Africa                                             overlaps with the distinctive      Access to the park is by light        east African species; to see       aircraft; or by tarmac road and       greater and lesser Kudu as well    is reached over the Rubeho            as sable and roan in one park is   Mountains. Descending to the          part of the attraction of Ruaha.   Ruaha River offers views along        There is a rich selection of       the Ruaha Gorge and the first         plain animals, predators and       thing to strike visitors as they      Elephants in this park.            enter this area is the profusion                                         of the unusual and huge baobab        As in most areas of Tanzania bird  trees. Although in general the        life here is spectacular. The      park is covered by Combertum          park is known for large numbers    woodland with a thinning out to       of the rare Eleanor's falcons      acacia.                               from December to January. Over                                           456 species of birds have been     The rare and endangered African       identified to date with new        hunting dog are fairly common in      species discovered every year.     Ruaha. Known as the painted wolf      January to May is the best time    [Lycaon Pictus] these endangered      to visit this park for bird and    butterfly collectors; otherwise       Few visitors visit this park.      October to November is warmer and     Although in recent years visitors  recommended if a bird safari is       to Tanzania have begun to succumb  not on the agenda.                    to the Southern Circuit Parks and                                        in particular the magic of Ruaha.  About the Author: For further information Bethel Adventure on Tanzania, Kilimanjaro and the islands of Zanzibar. http://www.betheladventure.co.uk uses tourism to fund community initiatives focused on the education of the young and the medical care for the whole family. Source: www.isnare.com