Ruaha is the largest national park in Tanzania, covering roughly 20,200 square kilometres in the centre of the country, and it receives a fraction of the visitors the northern circuit sees. For anyone who has already done the Serengeti, or who wants wilderness over convenience, it is the best park in the country.
The Great Ruaha River runs through it, and in the dry season the sand rivers and remaining pools draw enormous concentrations of game. Ruaha holds one of the largest elephant populations in East Africa and some of the biggest lion prides recorded anywhere, prides of twenty and more being regular sightings.
The park sits on a transition zone between eastern and southern African ecosystems, so species from both appear here. Greater and lesser kudu, sable and roan antelope live alongside the more familiar plains game, and African wild dog are seen with reasonable regularity.
Ruaha is reached by light aircraft from Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar or Arusha. The distance keeps visitor numbers low, which is precisely what makes it worth the flight.