Reviews of safaris to Ruaha National Park
510 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Ruaha.
Mr P
Maidstone
"My Aug 2015 trip"
I visited Tanzania between 6 Aug 2015 and 19 Aug 2015
"This was to be a special and rare trip for us as all members of the family were to be together.
In fact the trip met and even exceeded our expectations. We have separately commented between us that this has been the trip of a lifetime.
Many thanks to Expert Africa and special thanks to Ellie who patiently guided us towards the right destinations and the right places to stay. We are very grateful.
We look forward to talking to you again - sometime - about our next trip!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari
In fact the trip met and even exceeded our expectations. We have separately commented between us that this has been the trip of a lifetime.
Many thanks to Expert Africa and special thanks to Ellie who patiently guided us towards the right destinations and the right places to stay. We are very grateful.
We look forward to talking to you again - sometime - about our next trip!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs R
PA, USA
"An amazing and unforgettable experience"
I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 27 Jul 2015 and 9 Aug 2015
"The entire experience from start to finish was best in class. We truly had a once in life time experience and we are so happy we chose to work with Expert Africa.
I would strongly urge anyone thinking of going to Africa to work with you guys. The reviews we had read to help us decide and plan were all accurate which is alway a bonus as well.
If I had to do it all over again, there are minor ( and I mean minor) things I would have changed. The first day was an extremely long day of travel. After 21hrs of traveling we were a bit surprised by a four hour drive until we got to our hotel. We certainly sucked it up and at the end of the day it was fine but I may have opted to stay a bit closer.
I may have also done one less day of selous. Not sure if it was our location, luck or combination of the two but we we could have done one less day there. Again, this is being super nit picky it really was amazing.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
My only suggestions is a bit more detail around the flights and the distances of the transfers." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
I would strongly urge anyone thinking of going to Africa to work with you guys. The reviews we had read to help us decide and plan were all accurate which is alway a bonus as well.
If I had to do it all over again, there are minor ( and I mean minor) things I would have changed. The first day was an extremely long day of travel. After 21hrs of traveling we were a bit surprised by a four hour drive until we got to our hotel. We certainly sucked it up and at the end of the day it was fine but I may have opted to stay a bit closer.
I may have also done one less day of selous. Not sure if it was our location, luck or combination of the two but we we could have done one less day there. Again, this is being super nit picky it really was amazing.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
My only suggestions is a bit more detail around the flights and the distances of the transfers." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr N
Devon
"Introducing our boys to Safari"
I visited Tanzania between 11 Jul 2015 and 18 Jul 2015
"A 7 day trip to Selous (Selous Impala) and Ruaha (Mwagusi) was the perfect way to introduce our 2 boys to the joys of Safari.
Great game viewing, lovely camps and amazing people." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari
Great game viewing, lovely camps and amazing people." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs JA
New York
"My Jul 2015 trip"
I visited Tanzania between 9 Jul 2015 and 23 Jul 2015
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs H
Nottingham
"Our Perfect Honeymoon"
I visited Tanzania between 1 Jul 2015 and 16 Jul 2015
"With much assistance from Expert Africa we really were able to tailor make our honeymoon and it made the world of difference. It meant we could focus on the things we were most interested in, we could move on from one location to the next at our own pace and we could adjust the budget up or down accordingly by tweaking here and there.
Our whole trip was fantastic. It had a rocky start as our flight leaving the UK was actually cancelled, however we were able to ring Expert Africa in the middle of the night explain the problem and by the time we arrived in Tanzania a new schedule had been re-arrranged for us by James that minimised any loss of activities. Having this piece of mind was invaluable.
Thanks should also go to Liz (who often assisted us if James was out of the office) and to Megan as originally we were looking into going to Botswana." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari
Our whole trip was fantastic. It had a rocky start as our flight leaving the UK was actually cancelled, however we were able to ring Expert Africa in the middle of the night explain the problem and by the time we arrived in Tanzania a new schedule had been re-arrranged for us by James that minimised any loss of activities. Having this piece of mind was invaluable.
Thanks should also go to Liz (who often assisted us if James was out of the office) and to Megan as originally we were looking into going to Botswana." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Michelle Chandler
USA
"My Jun 2015 trip"
I visited Tanzania between 16 Jun 2015 and 19 Jun 2015
"Wonderful and timely feedback by James.
A perfect experience in ALL aspects!" Read full review: 3 nights in Africa; 3 on a Tanzania safari
A perfect experience in ALL aspects!" Read full review: 3 nights in Africa; 3 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs C
Golden CO
"Wonderful Holiday"
I visited Zambia and 4 other countries between 9 Jun 2015 and 18 Jul 2015
"Our safari to eastern and southern Africa was absolutely stunning.
My family has an active, adventurous spirit, which Claire Scott (Expert Africa) picked up on right away as we discussed options nearly nine months prior. Accordingly, Claire recommended camps that met our desires and expectations. I cannot say enough about how easy it was to work with Expert Africa and how efficiently our holiday played out. Complex logistics were well planned and execution was seamless. Well done!" Read full review: 39 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari
My family has an active, adventurous spirit, which Claire Scott (Expert Africa) picked up on right away as we discussed options nearly nine months prior. Accordingly, Claire recommended camps that met our desires and expectations. I cannot say enough about how easy it was to work with Expert Africa and how efficiently our holiday played out. Complex logistics were well planned and execution was seamless. Well done!" Read full review: 39 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari
Overall trip
Excellent
J & M
Portland
"Our first trip to Tanzania"
I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 31 May 2015 and 9 Jun 2015
"This was a trip we've been thinking about for 15 years, but when it finally came time to pull the trigger, I honestly didn't know where to start.
James was outstanding from the very beginning — helping me to shape the trip and offering some great suggestions on when and where to go. He was super patient with all my questions along the way, and we always felt like we were in the best hands." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari
James was outstanding from the very beginning — helping me to shape the trip and offering some great suggestions on when and where to go. He was super patient with all my questions along the way, and we always felt like we were in the best hands." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
MW&JS
UK
"Another great trip"
I visited Tanzania between 8 Feb 2015 and 19 Feb 2015
"Great Trip - with help from Expert Africa we managed to avoid the hoards of vehicles in Serengeti and find the sort of tented camps I like best and the return to Ruaha is always a great way to end a safari.
I still feel the guiding at Kwihala is streets ahead of other camps which were good nevertheless" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
I still feel the guiding at Kwihala is streets ahead of other camps which were good nevertheless" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Canada
"Great experiences in Tanzania"
I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 7 Feb 2015 and 24 Feb 2015
"In February we spent 3 nights in Selous, 4 nights in Ruaha, 6 nights in Paje (Zanzibar), 2 nights on Chumbe Island, and the final night in Stone Town (Zanzibar). Our trip was full of great experiences - totally unique from any of the travelling we've done in the past. This was our first trip to Africa.
I am happy that we went to both Selous and Ruaha. We experienced the most diversity and abundance of animals in the Selous (we stayed at Azura Selous), but appreciated being able to sit and watch the interaction of the 'social' animals (lions, baboons and elephants) in the Ruaha. If I was forced to just go only to one place, I would reluctantly say Selous because of the more wilderness aspect of it. We didn't see a single 4x4 when we were out in the Selous, while in Ruaha we probably saw 6 on average per day. I understand that this is nothing compared to northern Tanzania, and is one of the main reasons we chose Selous and Ruaha.
The Tanzanians that we met were all extremely welcoming and hospitable. They all wanted us to go home as ambassadors for their country. We felt totally spoiled and were willing to overlook disappointments we had with some of the food because of this.
I'm glad that we spent some time shopping in Stone Town as it was a great place to pick up inexpensive home décor items, but I probably could have done that in a few hours and didn't need to overnight there.
Coming from Canada, we found the food and drink prices to be very inexpensive on Zanzibar. Watching the kite surfing in Paje was really interesting and made spending hours on the beach enjoyable." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari
I am happy that we went to both Selous and Ruaha. We experienced the most diversity and abundance of animals in the Selous (we stayed at Azura Selous), but appreciated being able to sit and watch the interaction of the 'social' animals (lions, baboons and elephants) in the Ruaha. If I was forced to just go only to one place, I would reluctantly say Selous because of the more wilderness aspect of it. We didn't see a single 4x4 when we were out in the Selous, while in Ruaha we probably saw 6 on average per day. I understand that this is nothing compared to northern Tanzania, and is one of the main reasons we chose Selous and Ruaha.
The Tanzanians that we met were all extremely welcoming and hospitable. They all wanted us to go home as ambassadors for their country. We felt totally spoiled and were willing to overlook disappointments we had with some of the food because of this.
I'm glad that we spent some time shopping in Stone Town as it was a great place to pick up inexpensive home décor items, but I probably could have done that in a few hours and didn't need to overnight there.
Coming from Canada, we found the food and drink prices to be very inexpensive on Zanzibar. Watching the kite surfing in Paje was really interesting and made spending hours on the beach enjoyable." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
510
reviews of Ruaha by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
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Inspire meWhere to stay in Ruaha
Our suggestions for safari camps in Ruaha National Park
Mdonya Old River Camp
Designed with simplicity in mind, Mdonya River Camp focuses on a great wilderness experience rather than creature comforts.
Mwagusi Safari Camp
Mwagusi is a long-established, permanent, tented safari camp, on an attractive bend of the seasonal Mwagusi River.
Ikuka Safari Camp
Upmarket and stylish, Ikuka Safari Camp is set high on an escarpment with spectacular panoramic views over Ruaha National Park.
Jongomero Camp
A stylish and luxurious camp in a remote part of Ruaha, Jongomero offers excellent guiding and service in a remote, wilderness area.
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.
Kichaka Zumbua
Kichaka Zumbua is a small, luxurious camp offering on outstanding walking safaris in a remote area of Ruaha.
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.
Jabali Ridge
One of Ruaha's most luxurious camps, Jabali Ridge nestles among kopjes and baobabs, with beautiful views of the surrounding area.
Usangu Expedition Camp
Usangu Expedition Camp is a seasonal camp in the Usangu Wetlands – a remote and enchanting part of Ruaha National Park.
Jabali Private House
Jabali Private House in Ruaha National Park provides luxurious accommodation for private groups booked on an exclusive basis.
Jongomero Walking
Fly-camping and walking safaris from Jongomero Camp give you the chance to explore remote safari areas in Ruaha National Park.
Asanja Ruaha
Asanja Ruaha Ndembo is a smart new safari lodge in a picturesque setting overlooking the Great Ruaha River.
