- Seguku Katale. Kampala
Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park is a spectacular safari park with extraordinary beauty that you shouldn’t miss while exploring Tanzania’s northern circuit. Located within the Manyara region, it stretches over a total area of 2,600 square kilometers, ranking as Tanzania’s sixth-largest national park. This park is most known for its massive elephant herds and seasonal mini-wildlife migration, which sees over 250,000 animals enter during the dry season.
The park’s vast landscape includes granitic ridges, rivers such as the Tarangire River, valleys, and swamps. It is one of the most visited in the northern safari circuit for Big Game adventures, especially for those who love elephants. Visitors have the opportunity to see the massive elephants up close, often just a few meters from their safari vehicle.
Established in early 1970 and governed by the Tanzania National Park Authority, the park derives its name from the Tarangire River, which crosses it and serves as the main source of water for wildlife during the annual dry seasons.
The park is well-known for its elephants and baobab trees. Thousands of zebra, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo can be seen in vast herds during the dry season, which lasts from June to November. Other typical residents include olive baboons, giraffes, dik-dik, impalas, elands, Grant’s gazelles, vervet monkeys, and banded mongooses. Predators in the park include African wild dogs, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and caracals.
It is home to the oldest known pair of twin elephants. Elephant twins were recently born here, and their healthy and successful delivery defies all expectations.
What to do on Tarangire National Park Safari
-
- Game drives: The main safari activity, offering exceptional sightseeing opportunities where you can spot top wildlife species, including some of the Big Five.
-
- Balloon safaris: Hot air balloon rides provide an aerial view of the park, allowing you to see wildlife like lions and ungulates from above.
-
- Walking safaris: These allow you to see smaller animals up close without disturbing them.
-
- Cultural visits: Explore ancient painting-filled Masaai or Barabaig villages near Kolo on the Dodoma Road for a deeper understanding of different cultures.
For those who love nature and wildlife, this charming safari park is perfect. In addition to the well-known Serengeti National Park, this park is an option for the Great Wildebeest Migration safari. The annual migration of wildebeest and zebra gathers in great numbers during the dry seasons, providing a fantastic opportunity to see them. Usually, large numbers of animals crowd on the shores of the Tarangire River, the only source of water during the dry seasons. The park rivals Serengeti in terms of wildlife concentration, offering a great chance to view large numbers of wild animals amidst the beauty of the giant baobab trees.
The park is famous for its high densities of elephants and the concentration of big baobab trees that enhance its landscape. It is also renowned for walking safaris, giving visitors a real feel of the African bush and nature in its true state. It is an excellent place for animal viewing, with large herds of over 3000 elephants, possibly the only place to see them in such large numbers. It is also home to the oldest elephant known to have given birth to twins.
What to look out for while visiting Tarangire Safaris?
Besides the large numbers of elephants, the park is home to a variety of other wild animals, including zebras, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo that concentrate here during the dry season from June to November. Other commonly spotted animals include waterbucks, giraffes, dik-dik, impalas, elands, Grant’s gazelles, vervet monkeys, banded mongooses, and olive baboons. The park also hosts many predators, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, caracals, honey badgers, and African wild dogs.
Additionally, the park is a haven for bird enthusiasts, with over 550 different bird species. It is considered Tanzania’s finest destination for bird viewing.
