Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park is fourth on my list of  Top Ten African safari destinations, and is a firm favourite with many visitors, often surpassing its more famous neighbours the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.  The combination of awesome scenery, baobab trees and the best elephant viewing in Tanzania is hugely popular.

Where: Located in northern Tanzania, 1 & 1/2 hours drive west of Arusha along an excellent road., Tarangire is an easily accessible part of Tanzania’s northern circuit.

Why: Elephants and baobabs amongst others!  Tarangire is a fantastic place to watch elephant with many family groups visible in open parkland type habitat, and when coupled with the hugely characterful baobab trees offer great photographic opportunities.   Lion and leopard are present year round along with buffalo and giraffe with large herds of wildebeest and zebra entering the park in the dry season.

When: Tarangire is lovely at any time of the year and there are always elephants present but during the dry season, particularly from July into October, the game viewing can be truly exceptional, with grass cover lower and huge herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo and elephant coming to the waters of the Tarangire River off the Lolkisale and Simanjiro Plains to the east.

Where: Anywhere in the park is great, the camps to the north near the main entrance gate experience more visitor traffic.but are easier to get to and have less of the annoying tsetse flies particularly outside the dry season months.  Further south in the park the camps are smaller and more exclusive.  Personally I always choose a camp in the park over one outside, even allowing for some very lovely camps on the eastern side of the park – it’s just better to be at the heart of the action!

How long: A minimum of one night outside the dry season, but 3 or 4 is great during the July to October period.

What to do: Game drives are the main option in Tarangire, but some of the smaller exclusive camps in the more remote areas have licensed walking guides for walking safaris.

My view: Fantastic!  Go and see it for yourself!

For more information on Tarangire and Tanzania’s other safari destinations visit: www.journeyintoafrica.com

Or contact us on : info@journeyintoafrica.com

Next on the Top Ten – Chobe National Park and the Kwando and Linyanti Rivers.

About ajourneyintoafrica

I’ve both lived and worked in Africa in the safari industry and now have over 32 years of safari experience. I first visited Africa as an 18 year old, when I developed a huge interest and love for the continent. I led my first safari in 1986, after gaining an environmental science degree from London University, and have always been captivated by Africa’s animal and bird-life, by its huge horizons and wide open spaces, and by its people and cultures.

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