Ruaha National Park was established in 1964 in Iringa, Tanzania. The size of the park was increased to 20,226 square kilometers in 2008. The park is named after the Great Ruaha River that flows to the southeastern margin of Tanzania. It was officially declared as a national park that was an extension of Rungwa Game Reserve by the British Colonial authorities in 1951.
The park is known for its vast population of elephants of which 10,000 roam in the park. It consists of about 436 bird species such as Kingfishers, Hornbills, and Sunbirds. Several animal species are also found like Sable Antelope and African Wild dog. Rhinoceros were also spotted until 1982, after which they became extinct due to extreme poaching. The best time to visit the park to see large mammals is between May and December and between January and April for bird watching. Currently, due to drastic climatic changes, the park is suffering from continuous drying up of Great Ruaha River. The park is easily accessible through road either from Iringa or by air through Msembe airstrip and Jongomeru airstrip.