Tarangire National
park is located about 118 km (75 miles) in the southwest of Arusha
town in Tanzania and occupies about 2850
sq km (1,096 sq miles).
About Tarangire:
The Sun
is fierce and sucks moisture from the landscape, baking the earth to
a dusty red cake, the withered grass as brittle as straw. The
Tarangire River has shrivelled to a shadow of its wet season self.
But it is choked with wildlife. Thirsty nomads have wandered
hundreds of parched kilometres knowing that there is always water
here.
Herds of up to 300 elephants plough the dry river bed for
underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo,
impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons.
Tarangire forms the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the
Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania - a haven for predators – and the
one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately
fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly
observed.
During the rainy season, the seasonal visitors scatter over a 20,000
sq km (12,500 sq miles) range until they exhaust the green plains
and the river calls once more. But Tarangire's herds of elephant can
easily be encountered, wet or dry.
The swamps, tinged green all year round, are the focus for 550 bird
varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the
world.
On drier ground you find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird;
the stocking thighed ostrich, the world's largest bird; and small
parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys.
More ardent bird-lovers might keep an eye open for screeching flocks
of the dazzlingly colorful yellow-collared lovebird, and the
somewhat drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling – all
endemic to the dry savannah of north-central Tanzania.
Disused termite
mounds are often frequented by colonies of the endearing dwarf
mongoose, and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention
to themselves by their loud, clockwork-like duetting.
Tarangire's pythons climb trees, as do the lions and leopards,
lounging in the branches where the fruit of the sausage tree
disguises the twitch of a tail.
Getting there
Easy drive from Arusha or Lake Manyara following a surfaced road to
within 7km (four miles) of the main entrance gate; can continue on
to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.
Charter flights from Arusha and the Serengeti.
What to do
Guided walking safaris.
Day trips to Maasai and Barabaig villages, as well as to the
hundreds of ancient rock paintings in the vicinity of Kolo on the
Dodoma Road.
When to go
Year round but dry season (June - September) for sheer numbers of
animals.
Accommodation
Two lodges, one tented lodge, two luxury tented camps inside the
park, another half-dozen exclusive lodges and tented camps
immediately outside its borders.
Several camp sites in and around the park.....
More on Tarangire accommodation
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