Tarangire National Park is located in Manyara region in Tanzania. The park is famous for harboring huge herds elephants that can be spotted in the savannah plains in the park.
Tarangire National Park is 2,850 square kilometers in size making one of Tanzania’s biggest parks. Tarangire National Park was named after the river Tarangire that runs in the park and is the main water source to the wildlife in the park. Tarangire National Park is home to over 250,000 wildlife species and baobab trees.
Tarangire National Park was gazette during the early years of the colonial rule in 1957 as a game drive. When Tanzania got her independence in in 1961, the then government later elevated Tarangire from a game reserve to a national park in 1970. Tarangire National Park is located in a semi-arid region in the north of Tanzania.
What to see in Tarangire National Park?
Tarangire National Park has a lot to offer when it comes to when to see. The park has several species of flora and fauna and embarking on a safari tour in the park with introduces you to each one of them.
Tarangire National Park boasts with over 250,000 wildlife species living in the different eco systems in the park and also the large baobab trees that can be seen on the plains. The following are some of the things to see in the park.
Wildlife species
As earlier mentioned, Tarangire National Park is home to over 250,000 wildlife species.
These large numbers of wildlife are the major attraction in the park.
Being generally in a semi-arid region, Tarangire National Park has incredible numbers. The park hosts over 300 herds of elephants making the park with the largest herds of elephant in the country. During the dry season these elephants can be spotted around River Tarangire which is a life saver in the park.
The big five animals are also available in the park and can be spotted during a game drive. Wild animals in Tarangire National Park include lions, hyenas, cheetahs, hippos, buffaloes, elephants and many others.
Bird species
Tarangire National Park is also home to over 500 bird species that can be spotted in the park.
The different ecosystems such as the woodland, swamps and the savannah plains offer the best places to spotted these birds.
Tarangire National Park hosts some of largest population of birds in the country making it an important birding area and a birders’ paradise.
Some of the bird species in the park include superb starling, black-headed heron, cuckooshrike, bushshrike, wattle-eye, yellow-necked spurfowl, African hoopoe, mousebirds, nicator and many others.
River Tarangire
The Tarangire river is the major life line of the park given the park is majorly a dry land.
River Tarangire is also a major tourist attraction as hosts a very large population of wildlife species including predators like lions, hyena and cheetahs especially in the dry season. During the dry season, the banks of the river are the main hunting grounds for most of the predators.
Baobab trees
The Tarangire National Park savannah plains host a significant number of baobab trees scattered across the plains. These trees are huge and they are a source of many animals since they are ever green even in the harshest dry season because they have the capacity to store of 300 littles of water in their trucks.
Baobab trees are also a home to many bird species and when embarking on a birding experiencing in the park it best checking them out.
What to do at Tarangire National Park?
Tarangire National Park attracts a lot of visitors every year for many of the different activities that we are yet to see below.
Game drive
Game drives or game viewing is the major tourist activity in the park as it introduces you to various sites and sounds of the Tarangire National Park.
The main highlight of any game drive in the park are the wildlife species that can be spotted from your comfort of your vehicle as they transverse the savannah plains of the Tarangire National Park.
Some of the animals spot while on a game drive in Tarangire National Park include wildebeests, giraffe, kudu, waterbucks, impalas, elands, lions, buffaloes and many others.
Bird watching
Bird watching is a highly anticipated activity in Tarangire National Park because of the large population of over 500 bird species.
These birds leave in different eco systems in the park including the savannah plains in the baobab trees, the woodland area, and the swampy area around River Tarangire.
These birds also range from the resident birds to the migratory bird species and they include some of the following black-headed heron, cuckooshrike, bushshrike, wattle-eye, yellow-necked spurfowl, African hoopoe, mousebirds, nicator and many others.
Nature walks
Tarangire National Park is a good area to have a nature walk in the park. Nature walks are carried from designated trails in the park and taking on a nature walk in the park will introduce you the hidden areas of the park that cannot be transverse with a vehicle like in the case of a game drive. Nature walks are important because you get to explore the park on foot with the guidance of an armed ranger to keep you safe. Be sure to include nature walks on your safari tour activities and you will be amazed with the experience you will get.
Cultural encounters
Tarangire National Park is located in the Masai region of Tanzania and it would not be idea to finish your safari tour without checking out the Masai villages just outside the park premises. While on a cultural visit in the Masai villages, you will get to interact with the Masai warrior who are considered the bravest men on earth as it was in their tradition before the parks were gazette a youth mature man had to kill a lion in order to earn the right to be a warrior.
Their ancient tales of the warriors are both educational and adventurous to hear. You will also visit their local markets and also their craft shoes to grab a thing or two to support them.
How to get to Tarangire National Park?
Accessibility to Tarangire National Park is both by air and road transport. Traveling to the park by road, is the most popular and cheapest means to Tarangire National Park. The main drive to the park usually starts with a pick up from Arusha airport. This journey takes around 2 hours to travel for the 109 kilometers from Arusha.
Traveling by air transport means is the quickest and more convenient way to the park. Fly across the parks in the area give you an eagles’ eyes on the savannah plains and wildlife before. This journey takes you about 45 minutes to fly from Arusha to Tarangire airstrip.
Where to stay in Tarangire National Park?
It is essential to book your accommodation before traveling to the park. Tarangire National Park has a lot of places to stay both in and outside. The accommodation facilities inside the park are highly marketable because of their presence in the wild and offer sounds of birds and other animals at night as you sleep. These accommodation facilities include Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Tarangire Baobab Tented Camp, Tarangire Safari Lodge, Roika Tarangire Tented Lodge, Tarangire Simba Lodge and many others. These accommodation facilities range from luxury, midrange and budget.
What is the best time to visit Tarangire National Park?
Tarangire National Park experiences two dry and wet seasons every year. The region of Tarangire National Park is a semi-arid area and it receives very harsh dry temperatures in the dry season. This is usually in the months of June to October and it is the best time to travel to Tarangire National Park. This is because it is very easy to spot the wildlife as in it highly concentrated at River Tarangire giving you epic scenes of the wildlife. The wet season is also a better season for the budget tour travelers as they get to utilize the price discounts of the lower season.
