Reviews of safaris to Ruaha National Park
508 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Ruaha.
Mr P
Hertford
"My Sep 2022 trip"
I visited Tanzania between 17 Sep 2022 and 27 Sep 2022
"All of us greatly enjoyed our trip.
Ruaha is a wonderfully scenic park and its location at the northern limit of some species and the southern limit of others means that it houses a unique variety of animals.
We had some excellent sightings including roan antelope, numerous lions, including a mating pair right by the jeep, and leopard four times.
We stayed at Mwagusi first and then Ikuka and both camps were excellent." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
Ruaha is a wonderfully scenic park and its location at the northern limit of some species and the southern limit of others means that it houses a unique variety of animals.
We had some excellent sightings including roan antelope, numerous lions, including a mating pair right by the jeep, and leopard four times.
We stayed at Mwagusi first and then Ikuka and both camps were excellent." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
ludovicus
Canada
"My Sep 2022 trip"
I visited Tanzania between 16 Sep 2022 and 26 Sep 2022
"Really great wonderful experience, great vacation.
Really helpful.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
No just a wonderful vacation . Thanks 👍" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Really helpful.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
No just a wonderful vacation . Thanks 👍" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
P&H
London
"My Sep 2022 trip"
I visited Tanzania between 16 Sep 2022 and 1 Oct 2022
"Quick responses and helpful guidance with our planning.
Very useful Zanzibar guidebook too!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari
Very useful Zanzibar guidebook too!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs D
London
"My Sep 2022 trip"
I visited Tanzania between 12 Sep 2022 and 24 Sep 2022
"Delayed two years but worth the wait, thanks to Jessica and Expert Africa for managing the covid chaos!
Our fourth visit to Tanzania as good as ever with two unique wilderness destinations and loved being truly off grid.
Qatar flights via Doha were the best route we’ve used." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Our fourth visit to Tanzania as good as ever with two unique wilderness destinations and loved being truly off grid.
Qatar flights via Doha were the best route we’ve used." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms F
California, USA
"My Sep 2022 trip"
I visited Tanzania between 9 Sep 2022 and 25 Sep 2022
"This safari was planned and booked in, I think, 2019. Like the rest of the world, we had to postpone it twice due to Covid. It was worth the wait. I especially loved Ruaha and Nyerere because they don't seem to attract as many tourists as the migration area. But, having said that, seeing the migration is mind blowing.
On our last day, the camp manager was telling us all about Asilia and their environmental policies. I am really impressed with this company and would not hesitate to recommend them and will definitely stay at their properties in the future. I hope they will consider expanding into Southern Africa...
I love Expert Africa! I will continue to use you whenever I travel to Africa.
I have had nothing but positive experiences with your company." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari
On our last day, the camp manager was telling us all about Asilia and their environmental policies. I am really impressed with this company and would not hesitate to recommend them and will definitely stay at their properties in the future. I hope they will consider expanding into Southern Africa...
I love Expert Africa! I will continue to use you whenever I travel to Africa.
I have had nothing but positive experiences with your company." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs G.& Mr H.
Moelln
"My Sep 2022 trip"
I visited Tanzania between 3 Sep 2022 and 25 Sep 2022
"It was a very good planned trip. We always felt safe and everything (each transfer, each flight and also the lodges ) worked well. The drivers were only three times a little bit too late, but there were always people around who cared about us.
The ideal length of your stay should be 4 nights in one lodge. So you have the opportunity to see a lot of different animals. On some days we only saw birds and on the last day of our stay in the lodge we saw the lepard. If your budget will allow you 4 nights, we hardly recommend that.
We also loved the different parcs we visited. Every parc is different in landscape and animals which you can spot easy." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 21 on a Tanzania safari
The ideal length of your stay should be 4 nights in one lodge. So you have the opportunity to see a lot of different animals. On some days we only saw birds and on the last day of our stay in the lodge we saw the lepard. If your budget will allow you 4 nights, we hardly recommend that.
We also loved the different parcs we visited. Every parc is different in landscape and animals which you can spot easy." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 21 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms K.
United Kingdom
"My Aug 2022 trip"
I visited Tanzania between 31 Aug 2022 and 12 Sep 2022
"We had high hopes/expectations for our trip, and they were thoroughly exceeded! We loved every minute of it, and both camps, although different, were spectacular in their own ways. We hope this is not our last trip to Africa!"
Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs G
London
"My Aug 2022 trip"
I visited Tanzania and 1 other country between 29 Aug 2022 and 13 Sep 2022
"The trip was fantastic- Expert Africa made it effortless for us! Jessica Plumb (contact at Expert Africa) was very knowledgeable and tailored the trip to our interests/budget. She was very responsive, answering all our questions and providing us with a detailed itinerary.
The safari lodges and accommodation were true to the description given by Expert Africa, and were consistently of high quality.
It was great to be able to enjoy the trip without having to think about internal flights and airport transfers, all of which was taken care of by Expert Africa.
Overall we had an incredible experience on our honeymoon and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Expert Africa!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
The safari lodges and accommodation were true to the description given by Expert Africa, and were consistently of high quality.
It was great to be able to enjoy the trip without having to think about internal flights and airport transfers, all of which was taken care of by Expert Africa.
Overall we had an incredible experience on our honeymoon and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Expert Africa!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Nick & Kate
Sussex
"Spectacular river crossings and great game"
I visited Tanzania between 10 Aug 2022 and 23 Aug 2022
"This was a fabulous trip. We stayed in Arusha (pleasant overnight), and visited the Ngorongoro Crater (lots of game), Ruaha (fabulous lodge, sparser game, but still very enjoyable) and the Serengeti for the migration - awe-inspiring and spectacular river crossings.
The lodges were of very high standards, and the trip was comfortable, well-run and hugely enjoyable.
A special word must be reserved for the friendliness of the Tanzanian people - gentle, helpful, kind, considerate and well-mannered, extremely eager to do their best for you. It’s wonderful for veteran travellers like us to see how far the country has developed in so many ways since we were last here, and in particular to see how the Tanzanians themselves now occupy all the senior positions in camp management, guiding, and flying, doing so with their customary charm, efficiency and commitment to customer service." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari
The lodges were of very high standards, and the trip was comfortable, well-run and hugely enjoyable.
A special word must be reserved for the friendliness of the Tanzanian people - gentle, helpful, kind, considerate and well-mannered, extremely eager to do their best for you. It’s wonderful for veteran travellers like us to see how far the country has developed in so many ways since we were last here, and in particular to see how the Tanzanians themselves now occupy all the senior positions in camp management, guiding, and flying, doing so with their customary charm, efficiency and commitment to customer service." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs K & 5
Maryland
"Working with Expert Africa makes it very easy and stress free. "
I visited Tanzania between 6 Aug 2022 and 16 Aug 2022
"Overall, our trip was great. We were definitely pleased with our choices of parks after hearing about the number of vehicles in Northern Tanzania. I don't think we every saw more than 5 around wildlife and sometimes went for hours without seeing anyone else.
Our biggest problems were with vehicles. We had a flat tire at Lake Manze on the way to the airport, a car that wouldn't start at the airport at Mdonya and another flat tire on the way to Bagamoyo. However, all were handled quickly with limited delays. We had a mix-up on arrival in Dar with a driver at the wrong airport, but we were able to take a taxi to the Slipway and worked out reimbursement easily.
Jessica was a pleasure to work with. She was able to answer all of our questions and concerns. We knew we made some different requests, such as our day in Bagamoyo (everyone should go for the art alone!) and wanting an alternative to Zanzibar.
We look forward to planning another trip in the next few years. Working with Expert Africa makes it very easy and stress free.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Perhaps a questionnaire at the beginning of the booking process so we could indicate what is important to us in a safari. (Open vs pop-up vehicles, off road availability in parks, night safari availability, photographer friendly, etc.) This may have been offered on our first safari but I don't recall. I'm keeping a list of what we like in a trip, so each time should be even better." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Our biggest problems were with vehicles. We had a flat tire at Lake Manze on the way to the airport, a car that wouldn't start at the airport at Mdonya and another flat tire on the way to Bagamoyo. However, all were handled quickly with limited delays. We had a mix-up on arrival in Dar with a driver at the wrong airport, but we were able to take a taxi to the Slipway and worked out reimbursement easily.
Jessica was a pleasure to work with. She was able to answer all of our questions and concerns. We knew we made some different requests, such as our day in Bagamoyo (everyone should go for the art alone!) and wanting an alternative to Zanzibar.
We look forward to planning another trip in the next few years. Working with Expert Africa makes it very easy and stress free.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Perhaps a questionnaire at the beginning of the booking process so we could indicate what is important to us in a safari. (Open vs pop-up vehicles, off road availability in parks, night safari availability, photographer friendly, etc.) This may have been offered on our first safari but I don't recall. I'm keeping a list of what we like in a trip, so each time should be even better." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
508
reviews of Ruaha by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
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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.
Kwihala Camp
Kwihala is a permanent tented camp in Ruaha National Park, offering a high level of comfort and guiding in a natural setting.
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.
