INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE PARK

Tarangire National Park lies 120 km south of Arusha, along The Great North Road highway, and is very popular for day trips from the town. Tarangire offers a wide variety of wildlife in its area of 2,600 sq. km. As in all ecosystems, the vegetation and the types of animals you find are closely correlated. 

The principal features of the park are the flood plains and the grassland, mainly comprising of various types of acacia trees, and a few scattered baobabs, tamarind and the sausage trees. The Tarangire River, after which the park is named, provides the only permanent water for wildlife in the area

Tarangire National Park, which is the "Baobab Capital of the World", is 120km and 2 hours drive from Arusha (75 miles). Tarangire is renowned for its wild landscapes and diverse habitats.The Tarangire River, from which the park derives its name, is the only permanent water source within 2600 square kilometers (1625 sq.miles) of protected wildlife area.

In addition to numerous animals, the park has over 300 species of birds and has the highest recorded number of breeding bird species of any habitat in the world. Tarangire is most famous for its elephants. There are 3,000 resident elephants in the park and another 3,000 individuals migrate into the park during the dry season of July-October.

Elephants can begin to migrate into Tarangire as early as May and June as they follow the long rains and love the tall swamp grass found in Tarangire National Park. Elephant watching is excellent in Tarangire all year round. Bird watching is amazing all year round as well and Tarangire boasts the largest number of breeding species in one park in all of Africa.

During the dry season, herd animals of all kinds (elephants, wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and antelopes) migrate from the surrounding areas for the water found inside the park. This is the second largest migration of animals in Africa after the Serengeti Migration. Tarangire has a very large swamp, called Silali Swamp, which attracts animals and birds of all kinds.

During the dry season, the famous giant rock pythons leave the swamp to avoid being stepped on by herd animals and live in the trees on the edge of the swamp. These are amazing creatures and some of the most unusual wildlife viewing is of rock pythons killing large animals of all kinds! Tarangire is also home to the last remaining pack of wild dogs in northern Tanzania.

When the Maasai Steppes dry up with the end of the long rains in June, migratory animals return to the Tarangire River, making Tarangire National Park second only to Ngorongoro in the concentration of wildlife. This period stretches between June and November and it is the best season for game viewing in Tarangire.

The most common animals found in the park include zebras, wildebeest, lions, leopards, waterbucks, giraffe, elephants, gazelles, impala, gerenuk, lesser kudu and the beautiful fringe-eared oryx. You may be lucky to spot the tree-climbing python for which the park is famous, or the kudu and the roan antelope which are rare species in Northern Tanzania. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the Park.

Tarangire National Park covers a large area south east of Lake Manyara, mainly along the course of the Tarangire River and the swamp lands and flood plains which feed it from the east.
The park fills with herds of Zebra, Wildebeest and Kongoni that stay until October when the short rains allow them to move to new pastures.