Guide to Tarangire National Park Tanzania
The scenic Tarangire National Park is the second most visited national park in Tanzania after Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area “Ngorongoro Crater”, the park is definitely a destination you shouldn’t miss visiting on a Tanzania Safari.
Tarangire National Park gets its name from Tarangire River which is a combined of the words “tara” and “ngire”, Tara means a river that runs through the park and ngire is the Swahili word for warthog. so the name literally means “river of warthogs”.
How can you visit Tarangire National Park? What can you expect?, How much does it cost? and where can you sleep?. This article will answer all these questions and more in this practical guide to Tarangire National Park.
Your Practical Guide to Tarangire National Park – Introduction
Tarangire National Park is located in northern Tanzania, just south of Lake Manyara National Park. Tarangire’s size of approximately 2,600 square kilometers makes it the 6th largest national park in Tanzania, the park’s large expanse is crossed by Tarangire River which is the main water source and though it is very dry during most of the year. Tarangire National Park looks greener than other Tanzania Parks like Serengeti National Park, thanks to lots of the elephant grass, acacias and the famous and iconic Baobab Trees.
Tarangire National Park is popular for hosting large herds of elephants (the herds are of up to 300 elephants), the park is also home to lots of buffaloes, zebras and decent amounts of giraffes, lions, cheetahs and leopards. During the dry season, the park experiences a mini-migration during which around 250,000 animals move around looking for water.
The Best Time to visit Tarangire National Park
The best time for wildlife viewing is during the dry season from June to November, that is if you are hoping to see larger animals. During this time, the animals gather around the river which is the only source of water, so they are easy to spot there.
Tarangire National Park is a bit different from other parks in Tanzania as a lot of animals leave the park between December and May. Therefore, not only the heavy rainy season (March – May) is a pretty bad time to visit the park but December to February are also not the very best months.
However, during the low-season months there are lots of birds, prices of accommodation are often lower and of course it is a lot calmer, so if this is what you are looking for, these months are ideal for you.
Getting to Tarangire National Park
By Car
Tarangire National Park is located just 2 hours from Arusha and 4 hours from Moshi so you can easily drive there in the morning have enough time for exploring the park. From Arusha you can do a Tarangire Safari as a one day trip, but it is not recommended from Moshi.
If you are doing a multiple days safari in Tanzania, you probably won’t sleep inside the national park but in Mto wa Mbu or Karatu which are 1 to 1.5 hours from the park towards the entrance of Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti.
The drive from Arusha, Moshi, Karatu/Mto wa Mbu or from Kilmanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport is included in the price of your safari if you book your safari with us (tour company………………………..)
By Plane
You can fly into Tarangire National Park using one of the airstrips serving the park, the most used is Tarangire Airstrip but there are others.
Be aware these planes are small bush planes so standard packages include a limit amount of luggage, prices for the flights are quite high raninig from 150 – 200 USD per person from Arusha but over 400 USD from Dar Es Salaam.
Wildlife in Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park is home to a variety of wildlife with over 58 large mammal species, the highlight of Tarangire is the elephants and their annual migration which happens during the dry season (June and November). Large herd of up to 3000 elephants moves into the park in search for water and grass making the Tarangire River a regular rendezvous spot, seeing these giants meander across the plains and under the iconic baobab trees is a fascinating sight to behold.
In the same migratory season, wildebeest, zebras, buffalo, impala, gazelles, hartebeests and elands also crowd the river to drink water. This is the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem.
In addition to large herds of elephants, common animals to see in Tarangire National Park are leopards, lions, hyenas, cheetahs that are popular in the southern open areas of the park
Birdlife in Tarangire National Park
With more than 550 bird species, Tarangire National Park is among the best destinations for Tanzania birding safaris in the country and Africa as well, the park’s swamps that are green all year round are the commonest breeding area for various bird species in the entire park. the drier areas of the park also host various bird species including the world’s largest bird – the Stocking thighed Ostrich, the Kori Bustard – the heaviest flying bird in the world and smaller groups of horn bills.
Other common bird species in Tarangire National Park include
- The swampy floodplains of Tarangire in the southern and eastern part are important breeding grounds for the Eurasian migrants
- The woodlands of the park are inhabited by Hoopoes, Hornbills, White-bellied Go-away-bird, Brown parrots, Yellow-necked spurfowl, Helmeted Guineafowl and Crested Francolin. Commonly seen birds are also Lilac-breasted rolers, barbet and mousebirds, striped swallows and starlings, swifts, hammerkops, bee eaters, cordon bleus and owls plovers.
- The hills of Tarangire National Park are home to over 50 raptor species such as the Bateleur eagles, the Steppe Eagles (which migrate from Russia), the giant Lappet-faced Vultures and the tiny Pigmy Falcon.
Plant life in Tarangire National Park
Vegetation in Tarangire in much greener especially with lots of elephant grass, vast areas with mixed acacia woodland and baobab trees. Next to the acacia, there is no plant that is quite more associated with Africa than the noble and iconic baobab tree. This tree also known as the Tree of Life gets its shape from the fact it can store about 300 – 1000 liters of water within its trunk, its life expectancy is up to 600 years.
Tarangire National Park also has a number of wide swamps which dry into green plains during the dry season in the south and the dry open woods like acacia thickets.
Game viewing in Tarangire National Park
Game viewing is the most popular Tanzania Safari Activity in Tarangire National Park best done during the dry months of the year, this exciting activity offers visitors a chance to spot various animals residing in the park including lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants among others.
There are 5 routes that are used on game viewing safari leading to most parts of the park, these include the
- Lemiyon route featuring the park headquarters and campsites in the northern part of the park, this route offers a chance to explore the charming herds of mammals such as herds of elephants, buffaloes among others. The lookout trees with hallow sections inside provide a majestic experience of sleeping inside the tree in the heart of the wilderness
- The Gursi and Lamarku routes found in the southern part of the park passing through large tracts of open grasslands where ostriches can be encountered, the grasslands lead into the swampy areas of the park where hippos can be seen. Several water pools in the extreme southern end attract various birds and lucky visitors might spot cheetahs.
- The Western Lake Barungi Route is a quite long but important route to spot the nocturnal leopards and the endangered black rhinos. This route passes through a group of 250 species of shrubs and trees and the beautiful picturesque lakeside views that disappear in rolling hills.
- The Kitibong Hill Route offers hiking around the Kitibong hill dominated by acacia woodlands and flood plains down the hill are best for spotting elephants and buffaloes.
Where to Stay in Tarangire National Park
There are several accommodation facilities in Tarangire National Park situated inside and outside of the park, these facilities range from budget, midrange to luxury.
Nimali Tarangire – this is a luxury tented camp located on the eastern boundary of Tarangire National Park and is situated alongside a riverbed, it is well hidden amongst the acacia and baobab trees.
Acacia Tarangire Luxury Camp – this luxury thatched camp is situated in the heart of the Maasai nation and an inaccessible corner of Tarangire, the camp is situated in the total privacy amongst giant acacia trees and boasts spectacular views of Taragire National Park
Other accommodation facilities where you can stay during your Tanzania Safari include Sanctuary Swala Camp, Lemala Mpingo Ridge, Ecoscience Science Center and Luxury Lodge, Tarangire Safari Lodge, Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Ang’ata Tarangire Cam, Kikoti Tented Camp among others.
