A surprise invitation to Ruaha National Park (in Southern Tanzania) was an eye opener I am certain not to forget in a very long time.

I knew the park was bound to be spectacular, I had heard endless descriptions of  teeming wildlife but I didn't expect Ruaha to steal my heart. In the coffee table photographs I had seen, it didn't strike me as wild as the Selous.  How wrong can one be. In hindsight I'm almost too embarrassed to admit to it!

Friends of Ruaha (FORS) volunteer pilot & aircraft engineer, Tim Harrison, had been offered a complimentary safari in February of this year (including staying at the Fox's superb tented lodge) Ruaha River Lodge - in reward for his efforts in repairing FORS Jabiru spotter plane. I was the lucky one he asked to join him for the adventure.

The road leading from Iringa town to the park had been graded and was the best road I have travelled along (in Africa) for a very long time and the same can be said for the tracks in the park.  Rangers at the entrance were friendly and went out of their way to brief us, and answer all our questions.  We were on a mission!  With map in hand we intended to spend every daylight hour exploring, discovering as much as we could during our 3 day safari.

In short, we met up with a nomadic lion (approx 5 yrs old) who had recently brought down a baby giraffe, who sat vigil over his dinner, a batchelor group of elephants in a water fight in the Ruaha River, huge herds of elephants (including a tiny new born, hiding below his mummy's belly), countless birdlife that kept us guessing and identifying them for hours - endless deserted tracks with game around every corner - and last but not least, a beautiful young leopard (in the depth of the forest) who greeted us just as the sun was going down.  It is impossible to mention even a quarter of what we saw, be it wildlife or the endless, diverse terrain - including the great Ruaha River stretching it's fingers across the park, a lifeline to wildlife for nearly 13,000 sq.kilometers.

Meeting the Chairperson of FORS , Sue Stolberger, was an added delight.  Her home on the banks of the Ruaha River, where she paints and manages the society dedicated to helping the park and educational programs aimed at the local community. You can learn more about their efforts (far too numerous to mention here) on their web site: http://www.friendsofruaha.org

Ruaha National Park, like most of the parks and reserves in Southern Tanzania remains relatively ignored by the tourist crowd, but this is bound to change as word gets out just how spectacular this virgin part of Tanzania really is.  There's space to accommodate the increase of visitors, and to a large extent it will play a major role in these parks maintenance - but in a selfish way I hope that not too many people read this article!

My thanks to Tim (for the invite), Sue Stolberger and the rest of the FORS crew, Peter & Sarah Fox at Ruaha River Lodge, the enthusiastic rangers, and last but not least Ruaha herself (especially the 'not so timid' leopard). I'll be back!

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