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Ruaha National Park
Ruaha National Park
Ruaha National Park
Ruaha National Park
Ruaha National Park
Ruaha National Park
Ruaha National Park

Ruaha is Tanzania’s largest national park.

It offers guided walking safaris...

...where you might spot some of the park’s fantastic birdlife...

...as well as a good amount of wildlife.

Ruaha is known for its dramatic scenery, including rolling hills...

...and open plains with skeletal baobab trees.

Ruaha’s wild and untrammelled feel sets it apart from other reserves.

Ruaha National Park

Reviews of safaris to Ruaha National Park

490 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Ruaha.

Showing 181-190 of 490
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs J
WMD

"An excellent Safari"

I visited Tanzania between 10 Oct 2015 and 20 Oct 2015
"Once again an excellently organized holiday, from a personal viewpoint we found the jouney tireing with three flights following each other and possibly in future we may have to consider a stop over. We also found the heat excessive, however we appreciate this was our choice and Expert Africa are not in any way responsible.

Special thanks to Ellie for organising the lunch and also re payment, both are very much appreciated.

Siwandu and Kwihala both celebrated our anniversary in fine stile and we would like to convey our thanks to all the staff at both camps for making our stay special occasion

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Once again we both feel the service we have received has been very satisfactory and we would like to forward our personal thanks to Eleaner for her advice and help throughout." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr F & family
Belgium

"Great game viewing in southern tanzania"

I visited Tanzania between 5 Oct 2015 and 15 Oct 2015
"Our trip to Southern Tanzania was perfect. Ruaha and Selous are beautiful, wild and not crowdy at all. Let's hope it can stay this way.

As usual the EA level of information was of a very high standard. Thanks to James Denny for the little extras that made us feel special." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Bucks

"Great Safari in Southern Tanzania"

I visited Tanzania between 4 Oct 2015 and 12 Oct 2015
"We are seasoned safari goers, and each time we embark upon a new trip, there is always the question of whether it will be as good as our previous trips. Unfailingly, it is and this time was no exception. Every aspect of the trip was great and once again we had sightings of animals we'd not seen before, memorable new experiences and met some amazing people.

We would highly recommend this trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We cannot think of anything. We've been very happy with Expert Africa for a number of years now and this year was no exception." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs I
Dorset

"First Safari - Brilliant"

I visited Tanzania between 1 Oct 2015 and 15 Oct 2015
"This was our first safari so we were a bit apprehensive as we really did not know what to expect. But Expert Africa came up trumps and our trip was brilliant, just brilliant.

We were concerned about all the bits (flights, transfers and accommodation) fitting together, but it went like clockwork.

Impala Camp in Selous and Kwihala in Ruaha were perfect, just what we wanted; and the laid-back Pole Pole was the icing on the cake.

Many thanks to Liz for putting our trip together.

Our only problem now is matching it next year!!!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr D & Mrs D
UK

"My Sep 2015 trip"

I visited Tanzania between 26 Sep 2015 and 3 Oct 2015
"Excellent trip. Very well organised safari holiday with some of the best sighting of cats we have ever had.

The parks are quiet and the guides excellent. We particularly enjoyed the adventure camp experience and will definitely do this again. It was also the first time we have flown between parks, it made the trip more expensive but with our limited time it made sense and was a great experience. All our connections worked like clockwork and the overnight international flight helps to maximise time on holiday. What was great was that the day travelling between parks was set up to include two game drives so it didn't feel like a transit day and in fact included two of our most exciting sightings of leopard and lions.

We chose the parks from the excellent reviews we had read on the website. The brochure pictures of wild dogs are perhaps misleading as the local guides said their range is so huge you are unlikely to see them and we are realistic enough to know that these are very difficult to see.

As with our previous holiday with Expert Africa to Namibia we were impressed by how much effort James put into listening to what we wanted and matching us with accommodation and an itinerary that suited us perfectly.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

The information booklet that comes with the tickets is very useful.

We discovered that Tsetse flies are attracted to all dark colours, not just black and blue but also green and brown so save your beige and stone coloured clothing for Ruaha!

Having had two excellent trips of very different types with Expert Africa we trust your website so a travellers tips section written by you guys would be very welcome." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Dr K
Scotland

"Western Tanzania October 2015"

I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 22 Sep 2015 and 5 Oct 2015
"Overall a wonderful trip.

Excellent first week. A bit of a shame that the third camp did not reach the standards of the first two" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Nomad Aristocrat
NL

"An awesoem trip full of great experiences"

I visited Tanzania between 19 Sep 2015 and 3 Oct 2015
"Liz did a great job at listening to our requirements and preferences and pairing us with the camps delivering most of what we wanted.

She was also quick to react to and compensate the one minor hiccup along the way." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs P
Maidenhead

"Tanzania safari and beach (Sept 2015)"

I visited Tanzania between 19 Sep 2015 and 30 Sep 2015
"The trip went perfectly - we were met as scheduled for our various transfers and everything went to plan. The camps were very much as described on the Expert Africa website and the safaris more than met our expectations - this certainly ranks in our top 3 holidays ever - and we've been lucky enough to have had a lot of holidays all over the world!

From first contact Ellie was very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly - that was why despite finding a slightly cheaper quote, I got back to her to give her the chance to price match (which she did) - we were kept informed throughout and the literature provided was very useful - when I needed clarification on a couple of points Ellie was quick to reply.

The only thing I think we could have done differently is to visit Ruaha first - the parks were both excellent in different ways but Impala camp was special in terms of 'customer service' - the River Lodge was fine but coming after Impala it was always going to suffer by comparison! Either way we still enjoyed ourselves immensely, so a big thank you for that!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

The issue regarding the date of dollar notes which are acceptable in Tanzania needs to be clarified - your original 'notes' booklet says notes should dated 'after 2000', although your letter of 7 September updated this to 2003. I had 3 or 4 20 dollar notes dated 2004 and a couple dated 2006 and Selous Impala camp said they were not acceptable - luckily I also had enough in sterling to cover this deficit. However when we got to Ruaha the manager said she was unaware of any problems with notes after 2000!

A relatively small matter but it could be important in some cases." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs C
Hindhead

"Trip to Selous and Ruaha September 2015"

I visited Tanzania between 16 Sep 2015 and 25 Sep 2015
"We had a fantastic holiday. Both camps were very good in their own ways. The whole trip ran very smoothly apart from comments below.

We will definitely use Expert Africa again.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Dar Es Salaam airport is chaotic. It is very hot and it is not clear where to go. We did not realise we had to fill in departure forms and had to go back to the end of the queue. Perhaps Africa travel should advise people of this form and process to get through this airport.

My wife felt quite faint with the heat and jostling crowds. It took more than an hour to get through past all the passport control and security points. Perhaps we should have been warned of this." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs JR
Australia

"A memorable and well organised trip"

I visited Tanzania between 15 Sep 2015 and 18 Oct 2015
"Overall, our trip was a most enjoyable and memorable experience, and we would have no hesitation in recommending Expert Africa to other travellers.

Our advisor Ellie was knowledgeable and helpful, and was mindful of the fact that we were hoping to have high quality wildlife experiences but that we did not have an unlimited budget. She made many helpful suggestions, and was very successful in meeting our aims. I spoke to Chris at one time, and he made some helpful suggestions which we later appreciated, particularly about flying from Arusha directly to Ruaha, and not taking the Dar Express to Dar first (which was our original plan so that we might visit the Usambara Mountains, but this would not have been feasible in the time available). Ellie's planning was very thorough, and everything worked smoothly.

The only thing that didn't work was that the mailed package did not arrive in time before we left. It would have been better to allow more time.

Ubuntu and Kwihala were easily the most professional people we stayed with, and we thoroughly enjoyed staying at their two tented camps. Please pass this comment on to them. Both managers, staff and guides were excellent at both camps.
The only reservation we had was about our first guide, Kevin. He was quite pleasant and was also fairly knowledgeable about wildlife and birds. However, he has been a guide for some time, and seemed to be going through the motions a fair bit, and was not particularly enthusiastic (certainly compared to other guides we have used). He did not usually proffer a lot of information on his own initiative, apart from an excellent dissertation about the Rift Valley. He would provide information when we asked, but we had specifically told him we were interested in everything, including local culture.

When we were driving along in Tarangire (in particular) and Ngorongoro, he was not constantly scanning as the best guides do.He would often just drive along, frequently listening to the CB radio which tended to be on all the time. I would often spot things he would not, and I know from using other guides that my eyes are nowhere near as good as the best guides' eyes.
I know that guides use the CB radio for communication, but we got the sense he was using it (constantly) more for his own interest, and it became very annoying on occasions. We may be wrong there, but as we were starting to descend into Ngorongo Crater in the early morning light, I asked him to turn off the radio so we could enjoy the experience but he didn't hear or notice.

He did do a more thorough job in Lake Manyara, and we were happy with our safari experience there.

We don't necessarily want to cause a problem for Kevin, as he has his good points. However, we also have a number of specific complaints.

On our first night's stay in Sopa Lodge in Tarangire, we had to ask the management for some more bottled water. We found out the next day that Kevin had a large supply of bottled water on board, but he failed to inform us of this. He claimed he did, but my wife and I are quite aware of the importance of water, and he certainly didn't inform us.

On the way to Tarangire when we arrived at the big tourist shop where everybody stops, he made a beeline for the coffee bar for his free coffee. We don't begrudge him this, but he left us to our own devices (which is fine), but he had not really informed us of what was going on, or asked whether we might like a coffee, or indicated how long we would be there. This attitude contrasted with the few other guides we have used, who would make sure you were informed and were looked after.

Lastly, on the second morning during breakfast, he picked up my Nikon camera with its telephoto lens attached and played around with it for a short while. He did this without asking. As it happens, I was surprised but I didn't take exception to it as I could see he wasn't going to do any harm. However, I thought a lot of photographers I know would take exception to it, particularly as he could inadvertently damage something.

The above are all fairly minor gripes in the overall safari experience. As I said, Kevin was quite personable and pleasant, and we generally got on well. However, we believe his performance would be improved if he was more aware of his clients' requirements and showed greater enthusiasm and a little more "gung ho" attitude to do his best for his clients." Read full review: 33 nights in Africa; 16 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Showing 181-190 of 490
99%
490 reviews of Ruaha by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
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Where to stay in Ruaha

Our suggestions for safari camps in Ruaha National Park


Mdonya Old River Camp

Mdonya Old River Camp

Designed with simplicity in mind, Mdonya River Camp focuses on a great wilderness experience rather than creature comforts.


92% (132 reviews)
Mwagusi Safari Camp

Mwagusi Safari Camp

Mwagusi is a long-established, permanent, tented safari camp, on an attractive bend of the seasonal Mwagusi River.


96% (115 reviews)
Kwihala Camp

Kwihala Camp

Kwihala is a permanent tented camp in Ruaha National Park, offering a high level of comfort and guiding in a natural setting.


99% (111 reviews)
Ikuka Safari Camp

Ikuka Safari Camp

Upmarket and stylish, Ikuka Safari Camp is set high on an escarpment with spectacular panoramic views over Ruaha National Park.


97% (55 reviews)
Jongomero Camp

Jongomero Camp

A stylish and luxurious camp in a remote part of Ruaha, Jongomero offers excellent guiding and service in a remote, wilderness area.


96% (45 reviews)
Kigelia Camp

Kigelia Camp

Kigelia is a stylish tented camp, set amid a grove of sausage trees, and combining a simple set-up with comforts and luxury.


96% (33 reviews)
Kichaka Expeditions

Kichaka Expeditions

In a remote corner of Ruaha, Kichaka is a private mobile camp focusing on superbly guided walking safaris.


98% (23 reviews)
Ruaha River Lodge

Ruaha River Lodge

In a lovely location beside a rocky river, the unpretentious Ruaha River Lodge is the largest and most economical camp in Ruaha National Park.


92% (12 reviews)
Kichaka Zumbua

Kichaka Zumbua

Kichaka Zumbua is a small, luxurious camp offering on outstanding walking safaris in a remote area of Ruaha.


100% (4 reviews)
Jabali Ridge

Jabali Ridge

One of Ruaha's most luxurious camps, Jabali Ridge nestles among kopjes and baobabs, with beautiful views of the surrounding area.


100% (4 reviews)
Jabali Private House

Jabali Private House

Jabali Private House in Ruaha National Park provides luxurious accommodation for private groups booked on an exclusive basis.


100% (2 reviews)
Jongomero Walking Safaris

Jongomero Walking

Fly-camping and walking safaris from Jongomero Camp give you the chance to explore remote safari areas in Ruaha National Park.


80% (2 reviews)
Asanja Ruaha Ndembo

Asanja Ruaha

Asanja Ruaha Ndembo is a smart new safari lodge in a picturesque setting overlooking the Great Ruaha River.


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