Tarangire National Park

Tarangire is the 6th largest national park in Tanzania, located 118 km southwest of Arusha in the Manyara region. The name of the park originates from the Tarangire River that crosses the park. Tarangire is a popular stop for people travelling across the Northern Circuit on their way to Ngorongoro and Serengeti. The park is divided into two game controlled areas where the wildlife is allowed to move freely.

Tarangire provides unmatching game viewing, where families of the elephants play under the ancient trunks of baobab trees and peal the acacia bark from the thorn trees for their afternoon snack. Mafnificent views of the Maasai Steppe and the mountains in the south make Tarangire really memorable adventure.

Large herds of elephants stroll the dry river bed searching for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland invade the lagoons. Tarangire represents the greatest concentration of wildlife outside Serengeti, and it is the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as oryx and gerenuk can be regularly seen. It is also an excellent place for bird lovers,  offering 550 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world.

How to get there

Easy drive from Arusha or Lake Manyara following a surfaced road to within 7km (four miles) of the main entrance gate; you can continue further to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti from here.

Best time to Visit

The game viewing from July to October is amazing, but for the rest of the year the majority of game migrates out of the park, following the annual great migration toward grazing grounds of the Masai steppe.  It is advised for visitors not to expect high concentrations of game in the off season months, but it is still highly recommend travelling to Tarangire for those who want to avoid the crowd.