Tarangire National Park
highlights
Elephants
Elephants are the main attraction in Tarangire National Park. With up to 3,000 in the park during the peak months, this park hosts one of the highest concentrations of elephants in the world. Although present year round, it is during the dry season that the herds congregate in huge numbers, attracted by the perennial Tarangire River and its underground streams.
Giant Baobab Trees
The elephants only tell half the story of Tarangire. Ancient and surreal, the majestic baobab trees “Africa’s Tree of Life” are reason enough to visit the park. Scarred by generations of elephants, some of these enormous trees are rumored to be 2,000 years old.
The Tarangire River & Silale Swamps
The perennial Tarangire River, which flows through the park and the Silale Swamps in the south, are the only sources of year-round water in the area. During the dry season, many animals return to Tarangire’s swamps, and especially, its river system. This is the best season for a game-viewing safari in Tarangire, which can be excellent.
Wildlife
Tarangire is famous for its large numbers of elephant herds, but there are also substantial populations of wildebeest, zebra impala, giraffe, eland and buffalo. Thompson’s gazelle, Coke’s hartebeest, bohor reedbuck and both greater and lesser kudu are found here. There have rare sightings of gerenuk and fringe-eared oryx. There are still thought to be a few black rhino in the park. Lions are common throughout Tarangire National Park, as are leopard whilst cheetah seem to favour the more open areas of the south. If you’re lucky you may have sightings of the Spotted hyena and Wild dog who sometimes pass through the park.
Birdwatching
Tarangire is an absolute twitcher’s paradise, with over 500 bird species recorded. During the green season, hundreds of migratory species from North Africa & Europe pass through, and this season coincides with the nesting of resident species.
Best time to visit
