Tarangire National Park

Welcome To Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park, Home of the Baobab Trees…

The fierce sun sucks the moisture from the landscape, baking the earth a dusty red, with the withered grass as brittle as straw. The Tarangire River has shriveled to a shadow of its wet-season self, but it remains choked with wildlife. Thirsty nomads have wandered hundreds of parched kilometers, knowing that here, there is always water.

Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry riverbed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest, and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It’s the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem—a smorgasbord for predators—and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope, such as the stately fringe-eared oryx and the peculiar long-necked gerenuk, are regularly observed.

During the rainy season, the seasonal visitors scatter over a 20,000 sq km (12,500 sq miles) range until they exhaust the green plains and the river calls once more. However, Tarangire’s mobs of elephants are easily encountered, both wet and dry.

The swamps, tinged green year-round, are home to 550 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world.

On drier ground, you’ll find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thighed ostrich, the world’s largest bird; and small parties of ground hornbills, blustering like turkeys.

More ardent bird-lovers might spot screeching flocks of the dazzlingly colorful yellow-collared lovebird, and the somewhat drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling, all endemic to the dry savannah of north-central Tanzania.

Disused termite mounds are often frequented by colonies of the endearing dwarf mongoose, and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention with their loud, clockwork-like duetting.

Tarangire’s pythons climb trees, as do its lions and leopards, lounging in the branches where the fruit of the sausage tree disguises the twitch of a tail.

About Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park covers an area of 2,850 sq km (1,096 sq miles) and is located 118 km (75 miles) southwest of Arusha.

Getting There
By road, it’s an easy drive from Arusha or Lake Manyara, following a surfaced road to within 7 km (four miles) of the main entrance gate. You can also continue on to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. By air, charter flights are available from Arusha and the Serengeti.

What to Do
Visitors can enjoy guided walking safaris and day trips to Maasai and Barabaig villages. Additionally, you can explore the ancient rock paintings in the vicinity of Kolo on the Dodoma Road.

When to Go
Tarangire National Park is a great destination year-round, but the dry season (June – September) offers the highest concentration of animals.About Tarangire N