Walking Safari in Ruaha National Park

Walking Safari in Ruaha National Park : Tanzania has plenty of stunning attractions, including Serengeti and Ngorongoro—and of course, Africa’s premier wildlife destinations. But there is a lot to see in this country. If you’re going on a Tanzania adventure, Ruaha National Park is a wonderful park worth a visit. Ruaha is an untouched park in the southern part of Tanzania. Here, walking safaris introduce you to tiny creatures, flowers, and the smell of nature. You probably know a little about it, but if you don’t, you’ve come to the right place.

What’s a walking safari?

A walking safari goes beyond a normal game drive. On this safari, you’ll get close to nature, feel it, hear it, smell it, and do a lot to enjoy. The wild animals are unpredictable, and their protective instincts may turn against you. Therefore, an armed ranger will take care of you throughout this safari experience. Exploring nature on foot is pure, authentic, and eco-friendly, unlike game drives, which leave traces of carbon.

The best time to visit Ruaha

You can visit Ruaha anytime you want in the year. However, from November to May, the park receives serious rainfall. This may cause some disruption during your trip, but the rewards will make up for it. You’ll enjoy crowd-free safaris, personalized service in hotels, and mega discount rates.

Most people prefer visiting Ruaha during the dry season. It starts from June to October, and it’s considered the best time. There is a lot to enjoy, including dry trails, short grass, and easy wildlife watching.

What to see on a walking safari in Ruaha?

There is a lot to discover in Ruaha, especially when you’re on foot. We’ve picked some of the interesting things to see while walking around Ruaha National Park. Let’s see them.

Baobabs. Ruaha has its grassy plains dotted with ancient, giant baobabs. Imagine venturing to the ancient baobabs. These amazing trees are a perfect backdrop for your photos. They surely have a long lifespan of up to 1000 years.

Diverse wildlife. Despite being unknown, Ruaha is one of the top parks with rich wildlife in Africa. It has an incredible predator population—that’s 10% of the world’s lion population, a quarter of the cheetah population, and the world’s third-largest population of wild dogs.

It’s also well-known for its large elephant population and buffalo. There are other animals too, such as wildebeests, zebras, hyenas, giraffes, and many antelope species. Therefore, you have plenty of animals to expect while walking. By the way, there are many surprises (unexpected encounters).

Birds. You can’t ignore the presence of birds in Ruaha. It has plenty of them, and they have a lot of fun. Even those who didn’t come to watch birds usually don’t hesitate to pull out their binoculars or cameras to capture a stunning moment. You might meet birds like ashy starlings, long-crested eagles, southern ground hornbills, yellow-collared lovebirds, and much more.

Striking landscape and vegetation. With diverse habitats like grassy plains, baobabs, and the Great Ruaha River, the landscape of Ruaha National Park is something you should pay attention to. You can indulge in a challenging trek up the Ngalambulwa Mountain. There are amazing wildflowers to watch, especially from November to April.

A walk in Ruaha is a not-to-be-missed opportunity. Imagine walking slowly in tall grasslands, trying to get closer to herds of buffalos and elephants. These giant creatures are terrifying, though, but try to get closer if you’re quiet and stealthy. Otherwise, they may end up running away or being agitated.

Or imagine gazing at a yellow banana—and, of course, a yellow-billed stork. With our expert guide, you can learn a lot about birds in Ruaha National Park since this park has over 450 species. Pay attention to the sounds of nature as you walk. They create a harmonious melody of birds, insects, and small animals.

Ruaha is inaccessible, thus it’s less visited, with many visitors ending up in Nyerere National Park and other parks. So, you’ll see more in its pristine and unreachable places since a safari vehicle can’t access all parts around the bush.

How to organize a walking safari in Ruaha

This is so easy, but it’s essential. Many camps don’t organize this activity fearing the remoteness of this park. You can plan your life-changing nature walk with us. We can get everything in place if you want it in advance.

There are two kinds of walks in the bush: short walks and long walks. Short walking safaris take up to 30 minutes only. Usually, short walks are organized by camps as part of their services.

Long walking safaris usually take longer; that’s up to 3 hours. You’ll walk for long hours in the bush, have a picnic lunch, and return to the camp with a vehicle or on foot. It’s like spending a half walking in the bush.

If you’re planning for a walk in the bush of Ruaha, Jongomero Camp and Kigelia Ruaha are the only two camps offering this service. Other camps do not offer this service.

What to bring on a walking safari?

Before stepping onto the bus, you should have things or gadgets to bring. You’ll enjoy the safari much as well as being comfortable. Remember to bring

• Binoculars
• Sun hat
• Sunglasses
• Good hiking boots
• Good pants (long or short—depending on weather)
• Sunscreen
• Water
• A decent camera
• Short- or long-sleeve shirt (but not white or black)

And there you are! You know something about walking safaris in Ruaha National Park. And this makes you one step closer to making it real. If you still have inquiries, please reach out to Focus East Africa Tour for more information. Otherwise, plan your trip wisely.

Good luck!