3 Days Ruaha Luxury Fly-In
Ruaha National Park
Duration
3 days / 2 nights
Starts
Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar or Arusha
Ends
Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar or Arusha
Safari style
Ultra luxury
Group
Private — your own vehicle and guide
Best time
June to October. Most camps close March to May.
Safari overview
A short, deliberate trip into the southern circuit for people who have already done the north — or who would rather not do it at all.
Ruaha is the largest national park in Tanzania and one of the least visited relative to its size. The Great Ruaha River is its spine; in the dry season it shrinks to a chain of pools and everything in the ecosystem comes to it. The lion prides here are unusually large — twenty-plus animals is not remarkable — and the species list is odd in a way that rewards attention, with greater and lesser kudu alongside sable and roan.
You fly in and out. The road from Dar es Salaam is long and rough and would consume both spare days.
- Ruaha National Park
- Ruaha
- Dar es Salaam / Zanzibar / Arusha
Safari highlights
Day by day
Every day below can be moved, lengthened or dropped. This is how we would run it.
A scheduled light aircraft brings you into the park in the morning. The transfer from the airstrip is your first game drive — the road follows the river, which in the dry season is where everything is.
Afternoon drive, then sundowners on a sand river as the light goes.
- Flight to Ruaha
- Game drive from the airstrip
- Afternoon game drive
- Sundowners on the sand river
- Travel time
- Flight, then a game drive to camp
- Overnight
- Ruaha National Park
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Tented camp · Luxury
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Ruaha River Lodge, depending on availability.
The full day the trip exists for. Out at first light along the Great Ruaha, where the lion prides work the buffalo herds coming down to drink, then back through the heat and out again at four.
Walking with an armed ranger is permitted here and is worth doing at least once — it changes the scale of the place entirely. A night drive after dinner produces genets, civets and, occasionally, something considerably better.
- Dawn game drive along the Great Ruaha
- Walking safari with an armed ranger
- Late-afternoon drive
- Night game drive with a spotlight
- Overnight
- Ruaha
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tonight · Tented camp · Luxury
Or a similar camp of the same standard, such as Ruaha River Lodge, depending on availability.
A final morning drive on the way to the airstrip, then the flight out — to Dar, on to Zanzibar, or back north to Arusha if the safari continues.
- Morning game drive to the airstrip
- Flight out
- Connect onward to Nyerere or Zanzibar
- Travel time
- Morning drive, then the flight
- Overnight
- Dar es Salaam / Zanzibar / Arusha
- Meals
- Breakfast
Where you stay
These are the camps we would book. If any are full on your dates we substitute something of the same standard — and we tell you what changed and why.
Prices
| Season | Solo | 2–3 guests | 4–5 guests | 6+ guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low season 01 April – 31 May The long rains. Lowest prices, greenest landscape, some camps closed. | US$5,090 | US$4,090 | US$3,510 | US$3,221 |
| Shoulder season 01 March – 31 March Also 01 November – 19 December. | US$5,545 | US$4,460 | US$3,825 | US$3,510 |
| High season 01 June – 30 June Also 01 January – 28 February and the month of October. | US$6,055 | US$4,870 | US$4,180 | US$3,835 |
| Peak season 01 July – 30 September Also 20 December – 02 January. Book nine to twelve months ahead. | US$6,515 | US$5,235 | US$4,495 | US$4,125 |
All prices are per person sharing, in USD.
Supplements & child rates
| Single supplement For guests travelling alone or wanting a room to themselves. | US$1,095 per stay |
|---|---|
| Child sharing with two adults Children under 3 travel free of our costs; park fees may still apply. Ages 3–11 | US$2,320 per person |
| Room upgrade — luxury tier Upgrade the safari camps to the next comfort level throughout. | US$1,355 per person |
What is and is not included
Included
- Private 4×4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof and a guaranteed window seat
- Professional English-speaking Tanzanian driver-guide throughout
- All national park and conservation area entry fees
- All accommodation as listed, or a camp of the same standard
- All meals on safari, on a full-board basis
- Drinking water in the vehicle throughout
- Airport meet-and-greet and all ground transfers
- Unlimited game drives within park operating hours
- All government taxes and levies
- Emergency evacuation cover (Flying Doctors) for the safari days
- 24-hour contact with our Arusha office for the whole trip
- Return scheduled light-aircraft flights to Ruaha
Not included
- International flights to and from Tanzania
- Tanzanian visa — currently obtained on arrival or online in advance
- Travel and medical insurance, which we require you to hold
- Tips for your guide and camp staff
- Alcoholic and soft drinks unless stated
- Laundry, telephone and other personal expenses
- Optional activities such as balloon flights and cultural visits
- Anything not specifically listed under what is included
Worth adding
Guided walking safari
Two to three hours on foot with an armed ranger, where the park permits it.
Night game drive
Two hours after dark with a spotlight, in the areas where it is allowed.
Sundowner on a kopje
Drinks and snacks on a granite outcrop as the light goes.
Questions we get asked
Yes. You have your own vehicle, your own guide and your own schedule. We do not put unrelated guests together unless you specifically ask us to, in order to share costs.
That is rather the point. Every itinerary on this site is a starting draft. Add nights, drop a park, change the comfort level, start from Zanzibar instead — tell us what you want and we will rebuild it and re-cost it.
A Toyota Land Cruiser adapted for safari: pop-up roof, charging points, a cool box, and enough space that nobody sits in a middle seat. Windows open fully on both sides.
For July to September, nine to twelve months if you want the better camps. For the green season, three to four months is usually enough. We can occasionally do much shorter notice — ask.
It is customary but not compulsory. As a guide, most guests give their driver-guide around US$20–30 per vehicle per day, and leave something in the camp staff box.
It is enough to see the river stretch properly and to have a good chance at the big prides. Four is better. Two is not worth the flights.
Yes, and it is the natural pairing — the two southern parks belong together and the flight between them is short. Ask us for the seven-day southern circuit version.
Request this safari
Tell us your travel dates and group size. We will adjust the itinerary and send you an exact quote.
