Ruaha National Park

Ruaha became a national park in 1964 and expanded in 2008 to roughly 20,226 square kilometres, making it the second-largest in the country after Nyerere. It lies about 130 kilometres west of Iringa, in a transition zone between East and Southern African ecosystems — which is why it holds species from both, including greater and lesser kudu in the same park.

Game viewing centres on the Great Ruaha River along the park's south-eastern edge, where dry-season concentrations of elephant, buffalo and antelope draw large lion prides — Ruaha has been a recognised Lion Conservation Unit since 2005 — along with leopard, cheetah and one of Tanzania's larger wild-dog populations. More than 570 bird species have been recorded. Despite its size and wildlife, Ruaha sees only a few tens of thousands of visitors a year, so game drives are often solitary.