Jongomero Camp
Ruaha National Park
Accommodation
Jongomero Camp is a beautiful camp situated in the Ruaha National Park. Stretching along the Jongomero River, it offers eight stylish, thatched tents raised atop platforms. Often the river is just a dry sand bed, but it can fill with water following rainfall. The en-suite bathrooms with open-air showers and double basins are very spacious. The large veranda offers guests the opportunity to simply relax and enjoy the views across the riverbed - it is also the perfect place to take morning coffee or lounge on the Zanzibar bed with a book.
The open-plan lounge/bar and dining room comprise two separate units joined by a short wooden walkway. Dinner is often served under the stars on a mezzanine platform built close to the river.
Life in Jongomero is relatively relaxed. Game drives usually begin around 08:00 when the animals congregate at the river. Those who prefer to stay at camp can relax in the only pool in Ruaha National Park and enjoy the water's cooling effect on those sizzling days during the hot months.
Families and friends may want to consider the
Jongomero Manor.
Location
At 20'220 km², Ruaha National Park is Tanzania's largest national park and still relatively rarely visited by tourists. The park was expanded to include the Usanga Wetlands in 2008 and comprises 40% miombo woodland with open savannahs, spectacular baobab, acacia and palm forests as well as several springs, swamps and seasonal floodplains making up the rest. The park is bordered in the north by the Mzombe River and in the south by the Great Ruaha River. The Usunga Game Reserve and three further game reserves surround the park almost entirely. Most camps are located at a height of approximately 800 to 1000 m above sea level; the park's highest plateau, however, sits at an impressive 1868 m above sea level. A 50 to 100 m high escarpment is testament to the fact that the Ruaha National Park is also part of the Great Rift Valley.
The park is accessed via air from Arusha or Dar Es Salaam and can be seamlessly combined with a visit to Nyerere National Park. The flight to Nyerere National Park takes approx. 1 hr 30 mins; the flight to Dar Es Salaam or Arusha, including all stops en-route, takes approx. 2.5 hrs.
Jongomero has its own airstrip. The drive from here to camp takes just several minutes. Jongomero Camp is situated on the very edge of the Jongomero River, which later becomes the Great Ruaha River, in the western part of Ruaha National Park.
Wildlife
Because Ruaha National Park is located in the transitory region between the typical miombo woodlands of the south and the open savannahs of East Africa, it enjoys a rich variety of flora (over 1600 species) and a fascinating variety of birds (571 species!). It is also home to one of the highest concentration of elephant in East Africa.
Lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo and giraffe are easy to find; the rare wild dog and shy leopard are somewhat harder to spot. Zebra, eland, kudu and impala are the most common antelopes in the region, but rare roan and sable antelope are also present. Ruaha is the only park in Africa where the greater kudu can be seen. The Ruaha River and some of its tributaries are also home to crocodile and hippo.
Activities
The camp offers game drives in open 4x4 vehicles and walking safaris. Day trips with picnics are on offer, which means guests may also visit the park's western part. If you want to stay active, Jongomero offers an open-air river-view gym.
Good to know
Guests staying for longer periods may wish to spend a night in the bush fly camping. Jongomero offers one or two nights stay in ground level domed tents combined with a morning / late afternoon walk.
