Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park found south of the large Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Northern Tanzania covers an area of about 2,600 square miles (6,700 square kms), just 70 miles from Arusha. This is Tanzania’s sixth (6th) largest national park. This park is popular for its large number of different bird species. This park also has a large number of elephants that live in very big herds, in addition to giraffes, impalas, zebras, gernuks, elands, grater kudu and warthogs which can all be seen on your Safari in Tanzania to this park. The park’s terrain comprises of beautiful baobab trees, River Tarangire as well as volcanic-mountain ranges making it a stunning place to visit
How to get to Tarangire
This park can be accessed either by road or air.
By road: you can connect from Arusha or from Lake manyara as you follow a well surfaced road for seven (7) kilometers to the main park entrance gate. From here you can proceed to either Serengeti or the amazing Ngorongoro Crater. There are also charter flights connecting from either Arusha or Serengeti.
What to do in Tarangire National Park
There are a number of tourist activities to do while on this Tanzania Safari here and these include;
- Walking Safaris
- Day trips to visit the Maasai as well as Barabaig villages,
- visit the beautiful rock paintings
Best time to visit in Tarangire
The park can be visited all year round however for the best rewarding views we recommend visiting during the dry months starting in June up to September when the numbers of wild animals are big. During this time, several animals have migrated into the park. Because the vegetation is thin, the animals are much easier to see and most of the wildlife concentrates around River Tarangire as the other water sources have already dried up.
Wildlife Found in Tarangire National Park
There are different animal and bird species found within this park among which are: Elephants, Giraffes, Hippos, Buffaloes, Zebras, Wildebeests, White Rhinos, Leopards, Cheetahs, Hyenas and Wild Dogs.
Among the common bird species found here are: the African orange-bellied parrots, Ashy starling, Red-and-yellow barbet, Speckle-fronted weaver, Tawny eagle, and the White-headed buffalo-weaver. (Although bird watching can be done all year round, from November to April is the best time as most of the migratory species from North Africa and Europe are present and also many species are nesting at that time.)
Where to Stay while in Tarangire National Park
There are a number of accommodation options in and around Tarangire National Park and these are rated from budget, mid-range to Luxury facilities. Among these are: Tarangire Safari Lodge, Swala Luxury Tented Camps, Balloon Camp Tarangire, Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Tarangire Treetops, Tembo Tarangire Lodge and Camp, Maramboi Tented Camp, Kirurumu Tarangire Lodge, Lake Burunge Tented Camp, Whistling Thorn Camp, Oliver’s Camp and Lemala Tarangire camp among several others.