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| Not a very moist landscape |
I've written about Ruaha National Park at the end of dry season before (One, two) but this trip took place at the very end of dry season. There is a saying that the night is darkest before dawn and the same can be said that the area is driest before rainy season (though it doesn't really roll off the tongue the same...). The state of the Ruaha River was grim, with no flowing water and only sparse disconnected pools. Some were packed with hippos that were constantly grumbling and jockeying for space.
The visibility was excellent with many of the grasses trampled or eaten and the vegetation was very thin. Views along the Ruaha and Mwagusi River were expansive and it was easy to spot game from far. We saw plenty of impala, a larger than usual number of warthogs and zebra, and very few elephants. The highlight of the trip was an early morning encounter with a pair of African Wild Dogs.
For tourism operators this time of year is the "shoulder" season and there were very few guests. Each day we saw only one vehicle and we spent plenty of time in the most popular tourist areas.
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