Tanzania Parks
By Philip Briggs
Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Bradt guidebooks to African destinations, including the guide to Tanzania.
Safaris to Ruaha usually start from Dar es Salaam, and your point of entry for the country will be Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR). In most cases, your tour operator will pick you up from the airport and handle all further transportation and domestic flights.
The drive to Ruaha from Dar es Salaam takes about 10 hours, and a lot of it is on a dusty, bumpy road. Many people doing this drive make a stopover at Mikumi NP. From Mikumi, the distance to Ruaha is about 320km/200mi, and the drive takes roughly five hours.
The best way to get to Ruaha is by chartered or scheduled flight to the park's airstrip. Flights leave from Dar es Salaam unless you are visiting the park as part of a southern circuit safari. In this case, flights will leave from the airstrip in Selous or Mikumi. Flights from Arusha town, the base for the northern safari circuit, are also available. Coastal Aviation also offers direct scheduled flights between Serengeti NP and Ruaha NP.
Airlines & Ticket Prices
Please check Skyscanner, or for multiple-destination flights check Expedia, to see which airlines can take you to Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR), and what tickets would cost.
Domestic Flights
In most cases charter flights are booked by your tour operator as part of your tour package. Scheduled flights can be booked with a local carrier:
Passport, Visa & Other Entry Requirements
Please check our Getting There – Tanzania page to learn more about passport, visa and other entry requirements.
