Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park is located in northern Tanzania and was designated a protected area in 1970. It is most known for its elephant migration, birding, and true safari atmosphere. The bulk of visitors to the region either skip Tarangire entirely or only visit the park for a few hours, leaving large areas completely unexplored!

Tarangire National Park is also known for its massive Baobab trees, hundreds of elephants (about 2,500), the Tarangire River, and many colourful bird species (more than 550 in total). Safaris will take place both along the Tarangire River and in the dry hilly terrain. During the dry season (July-October), thousands of animals congregate in Tarangire National Park from nearby wet-season dispersal and calving regions. Elephants gathering along the Tarangire River to drink make for an ideal panoramic photograph! You can also see leopards, zebras, impalas, warthogs, elands, buffaloes, waterbucks, and lions.

Wildlife at Tarangire National Park

During the dry season, the concentration of animals near the Tarangire River is nearly as diverse and consistent as the Ngorongoro Crater. However, the ecosystem is balanced by a limited movement pattern followed by the majority of the game that lives in and around the park. As a result, Tarangire is excellent during the season but doubtful the rest of the year. Elephants are the main attraction, with up to 3,000 in the park during peak season. Wildebeest and zebra populations are also high during peak season, as are giraffe, buffalo, Thompson’s gazelle, greater and lesser kudu, eland, leopard, and cheetah. The main highlights of the park include dwarf mongooses, oryx, and generuk, however viewings are quite rare. Tarangire is one of Tanzania’s best birding hotspots.

Activities in Tarangire National Park

Tarangire safaris are the principal activity; however, camping outside the park allows for strolling and nocturnal safaris. There are no boat safaris on the rivers here, but Oliver’s Camp provides exciting fly camping adventures and excellent walking safaris. Both Oliver’s Camp and Swala have lately started offering night safaris within the park. Please contact us for more information, as the restrictions here seem to change every year!

How about the nighttime game drives?

Night drives are permitted in Tarangire. However, some lodges do not offer it since they have not registered with TANAPA. Also, if your lodge is located outside of the National Park, it will not provide night drives. If this is something on your wish list, make sure the resort you’re considering offers it before making a reservation!

When to Visit Tarangire National Park?

The game viewing is excellent from July to October, but for the rest of the year, the majority of the wildlife migrates out of the park, onto the Rift Valley floor, and to the Masai steppe grazing grounds. As a result, tourists should not expect huge concentrations of game during the off season, but we nevertheless recommend coming here if they wish to avoid crowds.