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Size: 10,300sq.km (3,980sq miles), Tanzania's second biggest park.
Location: Central Tanzania, 128km (80miles) West of Iringa.
The game viewing starts the moment the plane touches down.
A giraffe races beside the airstrip, all legs and neck, yet oddly elegant in its
awkwardness. A line of zebras parades across the runway in the giraffe's wake. In
the distance, beneath a bulbous baobab tree, a few representatives of Ruaha's 10,000
elephants - the largest population of any East African national park, form a protective
huddle around their young.
Second only to Katavi in
its aura of untrammelled wilderness, but far more accessible, Ruaha protects a vast
tract of the rugged, semi-arid bush country that characterises central Tanzania.
Its lifeblood is the Great Ruaha River, which courses along the eastern boundary
in a flooded torrent during the height of the rains, but dwindling thereafter to
a scattering of precious pools surrounded by a blinding sweep of sand and rock.
A fine network of game-viewing
roads follows the Great Ruaha and its seasonal tributaries, where , during the dry
season, impala, waterbuck and other antelopes risk their life for a sip of life-sustaining
water. And the risk is considerable: not only from the prides of 20-plus lion that
lord over the savannah, but also from the cheetahs that stalk the open grassland
and the leopards that lurk in tangled riverine thickets. This impressive array of
large predators is boosted by both striped and spotted hyena, as well as several
conspicuous packs of the highly endangered African wild dog.
Ruaha's unusually high diversity
of antelope is a function of its location, which is transitional to the acacia savannah
of East Africa and the miombo woodland belt of Southern Africa. Grant's gazelle
and lesser kudu occur here at the very south of their range, alongside the miombo-associated
sable and roan antelope, and one of East Africa's largest populations of greater
kudu, the park emblem, distinguished by the male's magnificent corkscrew horns.
A similar duality is noted
in the checklist of 450 birds: the likes of crested barbet, an attractive yellow-and-black
bird whose persistent trilling is a characteristic sound of the southern bush, occur
in Ruaha alongside central Tanzanian endemics such as the yellow-collared lovebird
and ashy starling.
Getting there
Scheduled and/or charter flights from Dar es Salaam, Selous, Serengeti, Arusha,
Iringa and Mbeya.
Year-round road access through Iringa from Dar es Salaam (about 10 hours) via Mikumi
or from Arusha via Dodoma.
What to do
Day walks or hiking safaris through untouched bush. The Mwagusi River is probably
the best part of Ruaha National Park for dry season game viewing. Starting on the
escarpment, it runs east for some 30 km to meet the Great Ruaha. The banks of the
Mwagusi are lined with riverine forest, doum palm stands and in places, wide open
grassy plains.
Stone age ruins at Isimila, near Iringa, 120 km (75 miles) away, one of Africa's
most important historical sites.
Best time
For predators and large mammals, dry season (mid-May-December);
bird-watching, lush scenery and wildflowers, wet season (January-April).
The male greater kudu is most visible in June, the breeding season.
Accommodation
Riverside lodge;
three dry season tented camps;
self-catering bandas, two campsites.
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Size: 3,230sq.km (1,250sq miles), Tanzania's fourth-largest park
in Tanzania, and part of a much larger ecosystem centered on part of the uniquely
vast Selous Game Reserve.
Location: 283 km (175 miles) west of Dar es Salaam, north of Selous,
and en-route to Ruaha, Udzungwa and (for the intrepid) Katavi.
Swirls of opaque mist hide the advancing dawn. The first
shafts of sun colour the fluffy grass heads rippling across the plain in a russet
halo. A herd of zebras, confident in their camouflage at this predatory hour, pose
like ballerinas, heads aligned and stripes merging in flowing motion.
Mikumi National Park abuts the northern border of Africa's biggest game reserve
- the Selous and is transected by the surfaced road between Dar es Salaam and
Iringa. It is thus the most accessible part of a 75,000 square kilometre (47,000
square mile) tract of wilderness that stretches east almost as far as the Indian
Ocean.
The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the Mkata Floodplain, the popular centrepiece
of Mikumi, draw frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains.
Lions survey their grassy kingdom and the zebra,
wildebeest, impala and buffalo
herds that migrate across it from the flattened tops of termite mounds, or sometimes,
during the rains, from perches high in the trees. Giraffes forage in the isolated
acacia stands that fringe the Mkata River, islets of shade favoured also by Mikumi's
elephants.
Criss-crossed by a good circuit of game-viewing roads, the Mkata Floodplain is perhaps
the most reliable place in Tanzania for sightings of the powerful eland, the worlds
largest antelope. The equally impressive greater kudu and sable antelope haunt the
miombo-covered foothills of the mountains that rise from the parks borders.
More than 400 bird species have been recorded, with such colourful common residents
as the lilac-breasted roller, yellow-throated longclaw and bateleur eagle joined
by a host of European migrants during the rainy season. Hippos are the star attraction
of the pair of pools situated 5km north of the main entrance gate, supported by
an ever-changing cast of waterbirds.
How to get there
A good surfaced road connects Mikumi to Dar es Salaam via Morogoro, a roughly
4 hour drive.
Also road connections to Udzungwa, Ruaha and (dry season only) Selous.
Charter flight from Dar es Salaam, Arusha or Selous.
What to do
Game drives and guided walks. Visit nearby Udzungwa or travel on to Selous
or Ruaha.
When to go
Accessible year round.
Accommodation
Two lodges, two luxury tented camps, three campsites.
Guest houses in Mikumi town on the park border.
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The Selous Game Reserve is
the largest protected wildlife area in Africa. A UN World
Heritage site, this pristine, uninhabited area is larger than
Switzerland. Only in the Serengeti will visitors see a greater
concentration of wildlife. Yet Selous boasts Tanzania's largest
population of elephant as well as large numbers of buffalo,
hippo and wild dog. Other species commonly seen are lion,
bushbuck, impala, giraffe, eland, baboon, zebra and greater
kudu. The topography of the park varies from rolling savannah
woodland, grassland plains and rocky outcrops cut by the Rufiji
River and its tributaries, the Kilombero and Luwegu, which
together cover the greatest catchment area in East Africa.
The Rufiji, which flows from north to south, provides the
life-blood of the Selous and sailing or rafting down the river
is a superb method of seeing game, especially during the dry
season between June and October. Crocodiles, hippo and an
array of grazing antelope can be seen. |
Linked
to the Rufiji is Lake Tagalala, where waterbuck, reedbuck
and bushbuck gather at the water's edge. In the long grassland,
safari enthusiasts may get a chance to see rare sable antelope,
greater kudu - or lion. The park gets its name from the hunter-explorer
Frederick Courtney Selous, whose books about his exploits
were best sellers in Victorian England. Walking safaris, game
drives and boat trips are organized. The best time to visit
is during the dry season, when game is forced from hiding
places to the river to drink. The waters of the Kilombero
Game Controlled Area are home to the ferocious tiger fish
and vandu catfish, the latter equipped with a primitive set
of lungs which allows it to migrate from one landlocked pool
to another. |
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Size: 1,990 sq km (770 sq miles).
Location: Five hours (350 km/215 miles) from Dar es Salaam; 65
kms (40 miles) southwest of Mikumi.
Brooding and primeval, the forests of Udzungwa seem positively
enchanted: a verdant refuge of sunshine-dappled glades enclosed by 30-metre (100
foot) high trees, their buttresses layered with fungi, lichens, mosses and ferns.
Udzungwa is the largest and most biodiverse of a chain of a dozen large forest-swathed
mountains that rise majestically from the flat coastal scrub of eastern Tanzania.
Known collectively as the Eastern Arc Mountains, this archipelago of isolated massifs
has also been dubbed the African Galapagos for its treasure-trove of endemic plants
and animals, most familiarly the delicate African violet.
Udzungwa alone among the ancient ranges of the Eastern Arc has been accorded national
park status. It is also unique within Tanzania in that its closed-canopy forest
spans altitudes of 250 metres (820 feet) to above 2,000 metres (6,560 ft) without
interruption.
Not a conventional game viewing destination, Udzungwa is a magnet for hikers. An
excellent network of forest trails includes the popular half-day ramble to Sanje
Waterfall, which plunges 170 metres (550 feet) through a misty spray into the forested
valley below.
The more challenging two-night Mwanihana Trail leads to the high plateau, with its
panoramic views over surrounding sugar plantations, before ascending to Mwanihana
peak, the second-highest point in the range.
Ornithologists are attracted to Udzungwa for an avian wealth embracing more than
400 species, from the lovely and readily-located green-headed oriole to more than
a dozen secretive Eastern Arc endemics.
Four bird species are peculiar to Udzungwa, including a forest partridge first discovered
in 1991 and more closely related to an Asian genus than to any other African fowl.
Of six primate species recorded, the Iringa red colobus and Sanje Crested Mangabey
both occur nowhere
else in the world the latter, remarkably, remained undetected
by biologists prior to 1979.
Undoubtedly, this great forest has yet to reveal all its treasures: ongoing scientific
exploration will surely add to its diverse catalogue of endemics.
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Getting there
Drive from Dar es Salaam or Mikumi National Park.
What to do
From a two-hour hike to the waterfall to camping safaris.
Combine with nearby Mikumi or en route to Ruaha.
When to go
Possible year round although slippery in the rains.
The dry season is June-October before the short rains but be prepared for rain anytime.
Accommodation
Camping inside the park.
Bring all food and supplies.
Two modest but comfortable lodges with en-suite rooms within 1km of the park entrance.
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| Boat
safaris on the Rufiji River, and cruises on Lake Tagalala,
offer a unique experience as the Selous is the only reserve
in Tanzania where this option is available. Hippo and crocodile
are abundant while waterbuck and buffalo can be observed as
they come to drink. Game drives along the edges of the lakes
and rivers are, of course, an attractive daytime alternative,
with evening drives conjuring up a special magic as the sun
goes down over the lakes. |
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Adventurous
travelers can also explore the wilderness on foot - a rare
opportunity in African parks and reserves. Even more exciting
are trekking safaris lasting several days. A small group of
adventurers, accompanied by guides and game scouts, go deep
into the bush, setting up camp each evening in some scenic
spot. This is probably the best way to experience the heartbeat
of the Selous. |
| How
to reach Southern Circuit |
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Most
visitors to Tanzania will fly in via Dar-Es-Salaam, which
means "Haven of Peace," reflecting the relaxed and
informal atmosphere of the city. From here visitors can take
a fly-in safari to the game reserves to the south. Less frequented
than the national parks in the north, the southern parks provide
a sense of African adventure unsurpassed anywhere on the continent.
The principal areas are Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi, Ruaha
and the Udzungwa Mountains National Parks.
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