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Tarangire National Park is one of the top safari destinations you should expect to visit in Tanzania. Tarangire isn’t as popular as the Serengeti National Park, yet it boasts of its huge profusion of wildlife and other attractions. Tarangire National Park is located in the Northern Tanzania safari circuit. This protected area is set between the meadows of the Maasai steppe to the southeast and the Great Rift Valley Lakes to the North and West. Tarangire is a perfect addition to wildlife safari in the Northern circuit of Tanzania besides the premier Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park.
Tarangire is Tanzania’s 6th biggest park, with a land area coverage of about 2600 sq. km. The park is most famous for its huge concentrations of elephant herds and a mini-wildlife migration, often occurring around the dry season/months of the year. It became a National Park in 1970, making it one of the oldest parks in Tanzania.
Since its creation, Tarangire National Park has played a significant role in protecting wildlife and also controlling hunting or illegal practices in the area. Today, it is an essential wildlife conservation area where tourists from around the globe throng in to make their travel dreams come true.
Highlights of Tarangire National Park
The Unique Vegetation
Tarangire National Park boasts of its unique vegetation. The park’s vegetation cover dominates the scenic Tarangire River. Around the river, a diversity of wildlife can be spotted as they are confined here to feed. The common vegetation types in Tarangire include elephant grass, mixed acacia woodlands, and ribbons of the aquatic forests as well as the giant baobab trees. The park features the oldest baobab trees dating up to 600 years.
Tarangire Wildlife Migration Experience
Tarangire experiences a mini-wildlife migration, especially around the dry months of the year. The dry months of the year to experience Tarangire’s wildlife migration run from June to November. The wildlife migration at the Tarangire may not be the same as the Serengeti Great Migration but is remarkable in its way. During the dry months, the majority of wildlife is confined to the Tarangire River which remains the only source of water.
Around the dry months, expect to find wildlife such as African elephants, wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, buffaloes, hartebeest, and lions. The rainy months (November to May) mark the period when the zebras plus large herds of wildebeest embark on the journey to the north-western part of the Rift Valley floor. The majority of them start crossing to the large open areas of the Masai Steppe and even dispersing to Lake Manyara.
Wildlife
At Tarangire National Park, expect to encounter a diversity of wild animals in their natural habitats. The different wildlife species to spot during the game viewing session in Tarangire include the African elephants, Bohor reedbucks, buffaloes, elands, impalas, Coke’s hartebeest, Thompson’s gazelles, lesser and greater kudus, lions, hyenas, leopards, and more. On rare occasions, cheetahs, wild dogs, and other wildlife can be spotted on a Tanzania tour in Tarangire.
Bird species
Tarangire National Park protects endangered and threatened species of birds. The diverse bird species to explore on a birding tour in Tarangire include the lappet-faced vultures, Steppe eagle, Egyptian vulture, grey-crowned crane, Madagascar pond heron, bateleur, secretary birds, and more. These comprise mainly of endangered species of birds.
Tarangire protects the near-threatened species of birds including the curlew sandpiper, Fischer’s lovebird, olive-headed weaver bird, Denham’s bustards, black-tailed Godwit, Kori bustard, Pallied harrier, olive-headed weaver, crowned eagle, and mountain buzzard.
The vulnerable species of birds include the Eastern imperial eagle, Sooty falcon, tawny eagle, and Southern ground hornbills. The rare species include the short-toed eagle, Isabelline shrike, and Temminck’s stint.
Additional bird species to explore in Tarangire include the red-winged francolin, white-faced whistling ducks, Egyptian goose, Fulvous whistling ducks, scaly francolin, African pygmy goose, cape teal, crested guineafowl, greater flamingoes, red-necked spurfowl, African olive pigeon, chestnut-bellied sand grouse, Donaldson smith’s nightjar, mottled spine tailed swift, Mozambique nightjar, scarce swift, European nightjars, common cuckoos, Klaas’s cuckoos, little Nyanza swift, purple crested turacos, and red-knobbed coot.
Other birds in Tarangire include the white-bellied go-away bird, Diederick cuckoo, hartaub’s turacos, black-bellied bastard, grey heron, saddle-bill stork, black-wing lapwing, pink backed pelicans, collared pratincole, greater painted snipe, squacco heron, goliath heron, hadada ibis, long-tailed cormorant, African jacanas, water thick-knee, little bittern, African fish eagle, lesser jacanas, black-winged kite, mountain buzzard, African harrier hawk, green wood-hoopoe, and common buttonquail, black-winged lapwing, and black-winged stilt, etc.
Safari Activities to do in Tarangire National Park
Game drives
Guided game drive usher visitors to the finest savanna grassland of Tarangire to explore the park’s diverse wildlife. On a game drive, expect to come across diverse wildlife as they freely roam in the park including buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, zebras, giraffes, antelopes, and bird species.
Visitors can engage in the day game drive or night game drive session. The night game drive takes you a search for nocturnal species of wildlife.
Birding
A bird-watching tour in Tarangire National Park takes you on a search for diverse bird species including threatened and endangered species. Tarangire holds over 550 species of birds including flamingos, African harrier hawks, water thick-knee, mountain buzzard, little ringed plovers, African olive pigeon, red-winged francolins, Abdim’s stork, curlew sandpipers, little ringed plovers, common cuckoo, laughing dove, African open bill, African pygmy goose, and more.
When to visit Tarangire
Tarangire National Park has its gates open to visitors at any time of the year. However, the dry months (June to October) are perfect for wildlife tours, especially for you to witness the wildlife migration in Tarangire National Park.
Where to stay
Tarangire features a myriad of safari lodge options that are suitable for overnight stays. They include Olivers Camp, Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Sanctuary Swala Camp, and Tarangire Treetops.
Getting there
By car, visitors take off from Arusha to the Northern tourist circuit about 140 km, approximately 2-3 hours’ drive. Or take a flight to the nearby airstrip including Kuro Airstrip. The Kuro Airstrip is the main airstrip that serves the Tarangire National Park.
