Ruaha protects a vast tract of the rugged, semi-arid bush country that characterizes central Tanzania. The moment the plane touches the ground the game viewing starts. A giraffe races beside the airstrip, all legs and neck yet oddly elegant in its awkwardness. A line of zebras and in the distance, beneath a bulbous baobab tree a few representatives of Ruaha’s ten thousand elephants – the largest population of any of East Africa’s national parks.

Wildlife in Ruaha is concentrated along the great Ruaha river. The river is a flooded torrent after the rains, dwindling to a few precious pools of water. Waterbuck, impala and the world’s most southerly Grant’s gazelle risk their lives for a sip of water. The shores of Ruaha are a permanent hunting ground for lion, leopard, jackal, hyena and the rare and endangered African wild dog.