RUAHA NATIONAL PARK

OVERVIEW

Ruaha National Park covers an area of 12,950 sq. kms and is Tanzania’s second largest National Park. It forms the core of a much larger (45,000 sq. kms) ecosystem including Rungwa and Kisigo Game Reserves and although it was established in 1910 as part of the Saba Game Reserve it’s present boundaries were demarcated as recently as 1964.

The watershed between the Ruaha and Nzombe Rivers is the central spine of this park. Miombo woodland stretches at the top of the escarpment, while below lie the vegetation plains which range from dry bush country to grasslands, swamps and evergreen forests intersected by the many sand rivers that are such a feature of this area, swamps and evergreen forests intersected by the many sand rivers that are such a feature of this area. Ruaha represents a transition zone where eastern and southern species of flora and fauna overlap and in all some 1,650 plant species and over 450 bird species have been recorded within the park itself.

Apart from being known for large elephant and buffalo herds, Ruaha’s principal attraction are the Greater and Lesser Kudu as well as Roan and Sable antelope within a small area. Besides that there is abundance of lion, cheetah, leopard, and increasingly rare and endangered African Hunting Dog.