Ugalla River
National Park · TANAPA
Miombo woodland along a river that floods and empties with the seasons.
- Area
- 3,865 km²
- Established
- 2019
- Region
- Tabora and Katavi regions
- Best time
- June–October
Wildlife
- Savanna chimpanzee
- Hippo
- Crocodile
- Roan
- Sable
- Elephant
Ugalla River became a national park in 2019, covering 3,865 square kilometres of miombo woodland along the Ugalla River in western Tanzania. The river floods in the wet season into a wide system of pools and oxbows, then withdraws, and the wildlife follows that cycle.
It has long been known to researchers for its savanna chimpanzees — a population living at the extreme dry end of chimpanzee range, in open woodland rather than forest, and of real scientific interest for what it suggests about early hominin habitats.
Tourism infrastructure is minimal. Like the other 2019 parks, it is listed here because it is part of the national estate, and because its status is likely to change as access improves.
Savanna chimpanzees
Living at the dry limit of the species' range, in open woodland.
The Ugalla River
Seasonal flooding that reshapes the park twice a year.
Miombo at scale
The dominant woodland of central Africa, largely intact here.
Hippo and crocodile
Concentrated in the dry-season pools.
Remote, overland from Tabora. Best arranged with an operator who already works the western circuit.
Driving in is not practical. Camps here run their own vehicles, and we arrange the flight and the game drives instead of a hire.