Tarangire National Park. Tarangire Safaris & Tours

Tarangire National Park is located in Tanzania’s Manyara region and the name of the park originates from the Tarangire River which crosses the park. The Tarangire River is primarily a source of fresh water for wild animals in the ecosystem of Tarangire during the annual dry season this Ecosystem is defined by the long-distance migration of the wildebeest and zebras and during the dry season, thousands of animals concentrate in Tarangire National Park from the surrounding wet-season dispersal and calving areas.

Tarangire is one of the unpopular game parks of Tanzania but rivals the Serengeti and The Ngorongoro crater due to its wide range of wildlife. Tarangire is the best place ever for a tourist who is highly interested in watching more wildlife and not being interrupted by large crowds of tourists. Tarangire National Park is located slightly off the popular northern Tanzania circuit, it lies between the meadows of the Masai steppe to the southeast and the Great Rift Valley lakes to the north and the west.

The park’s name originates from the permanent river Tarangire which passes through the park in the north, and it is also known as the lifeline of the park, especially in the dry season when most of all the animals gather along the river since most of the parts of the park are all dry. Tarangire is just a short drive from Arusha International Airport and is close to other wildlife-viewing destinations like Lake Manyara National Park.

Tarangire National Park covers an area of approximately 2,850 square kilometers and the landscape is composed of granitic ridges, river valleys, and swamps. The vegetation is a mixture of Acacia woodland, Combretum woodland, seasonally flooded grassland, and baobab trees. This national park is home to more than 550 bird species and it is a haven for bird enthusiasts, with termite mounds that dot the landscape.

The park is famous for its high density of elephants and baobab trees and visitors who come to the park in the June to November dry season expect to see large herds of thousands of zebras, wildebeest, and cape buffaloes with other common resident animals which include; waterbucks, giraffes, impalas, elands, grant’s gazelle, vervet monkeys, banded mongoose, and olive baboon plus predators which include; lions, leopards, cheetahs, caracal, honey badger and African wild dog and the oldest known elephant to give birth to twins is found in Tarangire.

What is Tarangire Famous for?

Tarangire National park is the only national park with large herds of elephants not only in Tanzania but also Africa at large. Every year Tarangire hosts  a simple wildlife migration consists of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles but it isn’t dramatic like that of Serengeti. During the dry season in months of June to November, thousands of wildebeests and zebras gather along the Tarangire river while in the rainy season in months of November to may, the zebras as well as the large herds of wildebeests move towards the northwest direction I the flat plains of the rift valley and some scatter toward lake Manyara.

Wildlife in the Tarangire National Park

Tarangire is home to several herds of elephants in Africa of up to 300 members per herd. In addition, there are large numbers of wildebeests, zebras, impalas, elands, buffaloes, giraffes, gazelles, coke’s hartebeests, Bohor reed-buck, the greater and lesser kudu and on rare occasion you can see the rare gerenuk and the fringe-eared oryx. There are some few black rhinos in the park though they are endangered and other cats that are common are leopards, lions, hyenas,cheetahs and wild dogs which are popular in the southern plains of the park which are open with spaced baobab trees.

Tarangire national park is home to over 500 bird species like the famous stunning yellow collard lovebirds and the shy starlings.

Tarangire National Park is surrounded by different kinds of unique attractions that will make your safari the best and interesting giving you the best experience in Tanzania. Below are the attractions that you need to know before you plan your trip to Tarangire National Park in Tanzania;

The Wildlife Migration of Tarangire

Tarangire has a lot of migratory movement within the greater Tarangire ecosystem since it is one of the most seasonal parks in northern Tanzania. Between June and October which are the dry seasons, most of the Tarangire Region is completely dry with just a few surviving water sources yet there are unimaginable large herds of different animals that move into the park which are attracted to the waters of Tarangire River. This enormous movement of wildlife though not as big as the more renowned Annual wildebeest Migration sees a large number of elephants, hartebeests, wildebeest, gazelles, and zebras, in addition to several predators like lions and leopards, entering the park.

Largest Elephant Population in Tanzania

This is one of the key attractions that have made Tarangire National Park internationally popular due to its largest elephant population which is considered to be the highest in the whole of Tanzania. As the dry season from June to October progresses and the terrain becomes even drier, you will see numerous large elephant herds of about 300 individuals per herd digging the dry riverbed of the Tarangire River in search of underground streams of water. However, the arrival of the rains offers plenty of pastures and water which causes the animals to spread out across the par. However, because of the large number of elephants living here, it is still easy to spot these land giants even in the wet season.

Wildlife in Tarangire

Because the park covers 2,850 km2 of the surface area, it offers a habitat to plenty of wildlife like zebras, searching for underground streams in the dry river beds and herds of about 300 elephants can be found. Shrinking lagoons are gathered around by migratory wildebeest, eland, gazelle, impala, zebras, kudu, rhino, hartebeest buffalo, and other smaller mammals are also regularly spotted with the dry country antelopes like the long-necked gerenuk and fringe-eared Oryx. Mongoose colonies are often hosted by abandoned and the thick vegetation usually hides the main predators that are always there but cannot easily be seen just like any other parks in northern Tanzania.

Birds

Enjoy spotting a large batch of colorful and exclusive bird species which are over 550 different bird species housed within the swamps that are spread all over Tarangire. Bird lovers are taken up for a long period by these bird species making Tarangire a famous safari destination for tourists. Some of the popular species here include: crested francolins, hoopoes, yellow-necked spurfowl, hornbills, guinea fowl, steppe eagles, brown parrots, gigantic lappet-faced vultures, white-bellied go-away bird, bateleur eagles, mousebirds, Kori bustards, yellow-collared lovebirds, bee-eaters, lilac breasted rollers, swifts, hammer kops, striped swallows and starlings.

The Mighty Baobab Trees

This is another unique feature that can prevalently be seen in Tarangire National Park is the baobab tree also referred to as the Tree of Life. This tree is ‘gigantic’ in nature and can store 300 liters and 1000 liters of water in its trunk.  This tree is a significant source of food to various animals which usually feed on its edible seed and the other hand, elephants sharpen their huge tusks on the bark of these trees. According to the local tales, it is said that these trees would easily move around the African continent, however, their aimless movement annoyed God and he decided to plant them upside down to limit them from moving again.

The Swamps

The park comprises extensive networks of swamps that are mainly found in the southern and eastern parts of Tarangire and these swamps offer a habitat to a variety of birds and animals such as; tree-climbing pythons, silale-swamp lions, African wild dogs, cape buffaloes, and even elephants. the Vulturine Guinea fowl, Donaldson-Smith’s nightjar, Yellow-collared lovebird, Great white pelican, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Mouse-colored penduline tit, Rufous-tailed weaver, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Northern pied babbler, Von der Decken’s hornbill, Northern white-crowned shrike, Pink-breasted lark, Ostrich and Slate-colored boubou are some of the bird species that can be seen in these areas.

Away from the busier northern part of the park, the south is home to camp that specialize in walking safaris marveling through the African ancient baobab trees which allows guests to soak in the African experience while exploring the Africa wilderness on foot and interacting with the African community.

The primary safari activity in the park is the game drive both day and night drive, but there are other activities like bird watching, the hot air balloon safaris, cultural and community walks.

Game drives in Tarangire National Park

This is one of the most popular activities that can never be missed during your safari in Tarangire and these game drives in the park are either done very early in the morning when the animals are most active, in the afternoon or at night to view nocturnal animals. These game drives are always done in comfortable 4 WD open roof safari vehicles with a professional driver guide who helps you to spot different wildlife species. During the game drive, you will follow different routes like; Lemiyon, western Lake Barungi,  Kitibong hill, Gursi and Lamarku routes which offer great views of wildlife species including animals like; elephants, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, wildebeests, elands, impalas, greater and lesser kudus, warthogs among others which will be grazing in open grassland plains.

Bird watching

Tarangire national park is a home to more than 550 recorded bird species which make it one of the best birding destinations in Tanzania and these bird species range from migratory birds, water birds, endemic birds which are only found in Tanzania and endemic birds which are also found in the neighboring countries. Bird watching in Tarangire national park can be done during the game drive or nature walk with an experienced bird guide who will help you to spot different bird species like rufous tailed weaver, helmeted guinea fowl, white bellied go away bird, yellow collared lovebird, ashy starling, bateleur eagle, tiny pygmy falcon, giant lappet faced vulture, great white pelican, red billed teals, white faced whistling duck, red bellied parrot, tawny eagle, red and yellow barbet, northern pied babbler, ostrich, Kori bustard, African grey flycatcher, slate colored boubou, pink breasted lark among others.

Nature walks

Nature walks in Tarangire national park are amazing activities which give you opportunities to explore the park on foot and get close with wildlife species in their environment. During the nature walk, you will be accompanied by an experienced park guide and an armed park ranger who will protect you from dangerous animals and the nature walks can either be done in the morning or evening and visitors will get a chance to get close to different animals, view bird species, colorful butterflies, listen to sweet sounds of bird species, breath fresh air and enjoy the cool breeze with a relaxed mind.

Cultural tours

This activity is interesting where visitors get an opportunity to visit the Masai community and interact with the Masai people, visit their homesteads, learn about their history, culture, way of living, foods, taboos, learn how to make crafts like baskets, mats, beads, enjoy their traditional performances, visit their schools, health centers, and buy craft souvenirs among others.

Tarangire national park can be reached/ accessed in different ways for example by road where tourists use different routes to reach the park and also access different parks, also by air where tourists book with different flights to reach the park;

By Road

The distance from Arusha to Tarangire National Park is approximately 140 km, taking about a 3hour drive to access the park. However, many people identify a safari to Tarangire as a loner Safari but visiting this park in the dry season will offer you remarkable wildlife views especially if you explore the southern part of the park. Tarangire ranks as part of the famous northern safari circuit and is definitely visited alongside with Serengeti and the Ngoro Ngoro crater. Arusha town is a starting point to many for most of the safaris to this circuit.

Tarangire safari can easily be combined with the neighboring national parks due to the good accessed roads as well as charter flights connection to these destinations for example; from Tarangire National Park to Lake Manyara National Park, it is approximately 110 km and this takes about 2h 50min by road. You can also connect from Tarangire to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area which is located approximately 140 km taking about 3 hours’ drive.

By air

Flying into Kilimanjaro International AirPort is the best option to get to Tarangire which is located 46km from Arusha. Another possibility is to fly into Julius Nyerere International Airport which is near Dar es Salaam and then arranging for a domestic flight at Arusha Airport.

If you want to get a relatively cheap flight, opt to fly in Nairobi Kenya and then move on to continue with one of the buses between Arusha and Nairobi where you are able to get to Arusha in the late afternoon if you use a morning pick up. Your tour operator will pick you up from the airport in most cases and also take care of any other transportation from there.

Accommodation in Tarangire national park is part of your safari experience which offers the best feeling, relaxing environment making your safari the best. These accommodations range from luxury, midrange and budget depending on your budget. These accommodations offer the best services and amenities in order to make your safari enjoyable despite your budget. Below are some of the accommodations in Tarangire Park.

Sanctuary Swala Camp

Swala camp is located within the most secluded areas of the National Park and it was established in the shades of the huge acacia trees offering uninterrupted views over the neighboring open Savannah land. The camp offers 12 lavish canvas tented rooms fitted with king size beds, cozy sofa and an en-suite bathroom with unlimited Wi-Fi in each room, a fully stocked bar to enjoy cocktails making it a true example of luxury in Tanzania’s wilderness.

Maweninga Camp

This camp is located on top of a high granite rock and overlooks Lake Manyara and Lake Brunge and on a clear day, you will enjoy views of the high Mount Kilimanjaro from here. This spectacular facility offers eco-friendly accommodation and each of its tents is constructed on a raised wooden terrace for clear views.

Tarangire Safari Lodge

In Tarangire National Park, this is the oldest permanent Lodge found on a natural bluff offering guests with sweeping views of the surrounding. Its accommodation includes tented rooms, bungalows and has an outdoor dining area, a swimming pool and a souvenir shop.

Tarangire sopa lodge

This is a leisure accommodation facility offering over 75 rooms with various amenities like Wi-Fi a swimming pool and a fine restaurant. The special thing about the lodge is that it is among the few accommodation facilities found within the boundaries of the National Park and it’s also ideal for holidaymakers travelling as families as it accommodate children as well.

Whistling Thorn Tented Camp

This is the only budget accommodation facility found in the Tarangire region offering 6 canvas permanent tents which are grass thatched and spacious accommodating a maximum of 15 people each night. There is a communal dining area where guests enjoy their meals.