ruaha national park, tanzania
One of the most intensely alive experiences I have ever had was walking in the bush in Africa. There is something about being way down on the food chain in a place filled with massive animals that focuses the mind in a way I haven’t experienced elsewhere. Yes, it is dangerous, even if they tell you otherwise. But being out of a jeep, walking, is a primordial experience never forgotten.
I was in Serengeti and Tarangire Parks, but the place I wanted to go was the 8,000 square mile wonder of Ruaha National Park in Tanzania, which at the time was too difficult to get to. That has now changed: there are better roads and new camps. Unlike in Serengeti, visitors here are encouraged to take guided walks in the bush. There are more lions, more elephants and more buffalo here than pretty much anywhere in Africa.
