Often described as the most underrated national park in Tanzania, Tarangire National Park is one of the less known gems in Africa and a must visit destination for your safari in the northern circuit of Tanzania.

Tarangire National Park is famously known and loved by travelers for boasting a variety of wildlife and diverse landscape, the park also boasts the largest population of elephants in Tanzania marking it arguably the best place in the world to see African elephants.

Tarangire National Park ranks as the 6^th largest National Park in Tanzania covering an area of 2,600 square kilometers, the park is located between the meadows of Maasai Steppe to the south east and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley to the north and west, about 120 kilometers outside of Arusha.

Tarangire National Park gets its name from Tarangire River that cross through, this is the only source of water for wild animals during the dry seasons. The river is usually very dry, it is drier than the Serengeti.

The Wildlife Migration of Tarangire

As one of the most seasonal parks in northern Tanzania, Tarangire National Park gas a lot of migratory movement within the Great Tarangire Ecosystem. During the dry season between June and October, the most of the Tarangire Region is completely dry with just a few surviving water sources, the wildlife migration happens though it is not as dramatic as the Wildebeest Migration in the Serengeti.

As the Tarangire River remains the only source of water, it attracts large numbers of animals including wildebeests, elephants, gazelles, zebras, hartebeests, buffaloes and various predators like lions that come to drink and graze around the river banks.

During the rain months of November to May, the Zebras as well as large herds of wildebeests move into the north-western direction towards the Rift Valley floor amongst the largest numbers of animals that spread across the large open areas of the Maasai Steppe and dispersing all the way to Lake Manyara.

Wildlife in Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park is home to one of the largest elephant populations in Africa with several herds of up to 300 members per herd, other animals found in Tarangire include large numbers of impalas, elands, buffaloes, giraffes, Bohor reedbuck, Coke’s hartebeest, Thompson’s gazelle, the greater and lesser kudu and on rare occasions, the unusual gerenuk and fringe –eared Oryx are also seen.

Tarangire National Park is also home to a few black rhinos.

While in the park, you will see big numbers of elephants as well as wildebeests and zebra, other common animals are leopards, lions, hyenas and cheetah that are very popular within the southern open areas. Wild dogs are also occasionally seen in Tarangire National Park.

Birdlife in Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park hosts over 545 species including crested francolins, hoopoes, yellow necked spurfow, hornbills, guinea fowl, steppe eagles, brown parrots, the gigantic lappet-faced vulture, white-bellied go away bird, bateleur eagles, mousebirds, Kori bustards, yellow-collared lovebirds, bee-eaters, lilac breasted rollers, swifts, hammerkops, striped swallows and starlings among others.

Plant life in Tarangire National Park

Tarangire’s Vegetation is much greener especially with lots of elephant grass, vast areas with mixed acacia woodlands and baobab trees, acacia and the Iconic Baobab Trees which are known as the Tree of Life.

The baobab tree gets its shape from the fact that it can store anywhere between 300 and 1000 liters of water with its trunk, the trees have a life span of up to 600 years. Baobab trees are commonly in Tarangire National Park, also there are a number of wide swamps which dry into green plains during the dry season in the south.

The dry open woods like acacia thickets make up most of the vegetation of Tarangire National Park.

Safari Activities To Do in Tarangire National Park

Game drives

Game viewing is the most popular Tanzania safari activity in Tarangire National Park, the park has 5 routes that lead to most parts of the park providing the best option for game viewing including the Lemiyon route, The Gursi and Lamarku routes, the western lake Burungi route and Kitibong Hill route.

These routes offer opportunities to see various animals such as lions, leopards, hartebeests, rhinos, wildebeests, gazelles, elands among others.

In addition to day game drives, there are also night game drives in Tarangire National Park offering visitors opportunity to see the nightlife of the park and reveal the elusive magic of nocturnal Africa.

Bird Watching

Tarangire National Park is an amazing bird watching destination in Tanzania with more than 500 species of birds, the best time to see birds in Tarangire is from November to April when resident species begin nesting and at the same time migratory species begin arriving from Europe and North Africa.

The best place to spot birds in Tarangire National Park is at the woodlands, swamps and near the Tarangire River. Some of the commonly seen birds include 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. Raptors to lookout for include the Bateleur eagles, the Steppe Eagles (which migrate from Russia), the giant Lappet-faced Vultures and the tiny Pigmy Falcon among others.

Nature Walks

Tarangire National Park is a great destination for nature walks, this thrilling experience is done in morning and evening lasting about 1 to 3 hours with an experienced and armed guide who knows every corner of the park.

The nature walk takes you to scenic environments such as climbing to the top of the nearby mountain and bushwalking safaris where you get a chance to see a variety of birds and animals.

How to Get to Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park is located in the North of Tanzania in the Manyara Region and it can be reached via road from Arusha on a drive of 2 hours, Kilimanjaro International Airport is the closest international Airport to Tarangire.

The Best Time for a Tarangire National Park Safari

Tarangire National Park is an all-year-round destination, however the best time is during the dry season. Tarangire National Park has the highest concentration of animals in the country thanks to thousands of animals that migrate to Tarangire from Lake Manyara National Park from late June to October. These animals tend to congregate around Tarangire River which makes for one of the greatest safari experiences in Africa.

Note: Keep in mind that July to October marks the high season in Tarangire National Park and Tanzania as well with many tourists filling the park, while on the low season the park is less busy as it also comes with more rain and due to the tall grass animals are a bit harder to spot.

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5 Days Tanzania Safari & Budget 5 days Tanzania Camping Safari

From the Coast to the Jungle.

This 5 Days Tanzania Safari & Budget 5 days Tanzania Camping Safari is what one terms as everlasting fun!!! As you experience one amazing lifetime moment after another, Feeding your eyes with sights never to forget, fly over marvelously straights of the African savannah lands these that run miles and miles. Many testify to the Game drives of Selous and Ruaha National Park as truly remarkable. These having crowded animals, with lots of action pact moments happening all over every inch of the game park. From the fastest running Big cats chasing down the tough to kill Wildebeests to Very very Huge-large mammals like Great African elephant matching through thick shrubs and thickets of the park. Crown the nights in cool sweet comfort of the African Safari tented camp sites. 5 Days of awesomeness.

Day 1: Fly to Selous Game Reserve

Pickup from your hotel in th early morning and transfer to Dar es Salaam Domestic Terminal for your charter flight to Selous Game Reserve. Arrival by early morning and pickup by your hotel in time for 2 shared game drives and lunch at the chosen property. As you fly over the Selous, you will see why this is considered one of Africa’s largest parks. Although a large area has been (unfortunately) set aside for hunting, there is still a lot to enjoy and wildlife to witness. The Rufiji River is teeming with hippo and crocodile, and the birdlife is fantastic. Lion sightings are very common as the opportunistic creatures tend to laze around the lakes waiting for animals coming to drink. One of the attractions of the park is the chance to encounter wild dogs.

Day 2: Selous Game Reserve

Full day in Selous Game Reserve. We are completely flexible with your preferences and this day will be organized according to your wishes. Your guide will discuss with you the best timings for you, including the game drives and the wake up time. For example, the normal safari day would be composed of 2 shared game drives where you could do a morning game drive, return to the camp for lunch and relaxation and finish with an afternoon game drive.

Day 3: Fly to Ruaha National Park

After an early breakfast, you will be driven to the airstrip for your flight to Ruaha National Park, passing through the never ending plains of Selous. With some luck you can even witness some animals in their morning routines.

You will reach your next top safari location around 11am, in time for 2 shared game drives and lunch at the chosen property. Ruaha is considered the largest park in Tanzania, particularly good for predators, including very large prides of lions and the endangered wild dog. This park has a real sense of wilderness, offers a wide range of wildlife and, additionally, has very few visitors which is amazing for people looking to be immersed in Tanzania’s nature.

Day 4: Ruaha National Park

Full days in Ruaha National Park. We are completely flexible with your preferences and this day will be organized according to your wishes.

Your guide will discuss with you the best timings for you, including the game drives and the wake up time. For example, the normal safari day would be composed of 2 shared game drives where you could do a morning game drive, return to the camp for lunch and relaxation and finish with an afternoon game drive.

Day 5: Fly out of Ruaha National Park

On this day we suggest a very early wake up in order to do an early morning game drive (when the animals are more active) and see one of the best sunrises you’ll ever witness. It’s really one of the most beautiful experiences to have.

After the game drive, we return to the camp for a rewarding breakfast and then proceed to the airstrip for your flight back to Dar es Salaam, or whatever your next amazing destination might be (i.e. Zanzibar).
Alternatively, instead of this early morning game drive, you may choose to stay at the camp for a bit of relaxation (if you wish).

End of the 5 Days Tanzania Safari & Budget 5 days Tanzania Camping Safari

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