Ruaha National Park is another remote, seldom visited safari secret. This arid bushveld haven is dotted with massive baobab trees, which are often carved into weird sculptured shapes by elephants seeking moisture during the dry season. At 20,000 km² this is the largest national park in Tanzania, and with adjacent game reserves, the total area (under some form of conservation) exceeds 45,000 km². The park is named after the Great Ruaha River, which hosts dramatic dry season predator action when animals line the banks to slake their thirst. Ruaha has good elephant populations (although poaching has reduced populations) and healthy populations of buffaloes, lions, wild dogs, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, zebras and many antelope species. This is birding heaven, with the convergence of Eastern and Southern African species – resulting in a good bird species count of over 580.