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Tarangire National Park landscape

Destination

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire is the elephant park. In the dry season the river becomes the only water for miles and herds of a hundred or more gather along it, under baobabs a thousand years old.

Only two hours from Arusha, Tarangire is the easiest real safari park to reach and the one most travellers underrate. It is quieter than Ngorongoro and the landscape — rolling ridges, ancient baobabs, swamp edges — is more varied than the Serengeti.

From July to October, animals from the wider Maasai Steppe concentrate on the Tarangire River. Elephant numbers are extraordinary, and lion, leopard and cheetah follow the plains game in.

It is also one of the best birding parks in northern Tanzania, with over 550 recorded species including the yellow-collared lovebird and the huge kori bustard.

Highlights

  • Dry-season elephant gatherings
  • Ancient baobab landscapes
  • Silale swamp game viewing
  • Great value day trip or 2-day add-on

Wildlife you can expect

  • · Very large elephant herds
  • · Lion and leopard
  • · Fringe-eared oryx and gerenuk
  • · Giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala
  • · 550+ bird species
  • · Tree-climbing pythons in the swamps

Best time to visit Tarangire

June to October is outstanding as animals concentrate on the river. Green-season visits (Nov–Mar) are quieter with excellent birding.

Check your own travel month →

Safaris that visit Tarangire