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Tarangire National Park

Some 110 km south west of Arusha along good asphalt roads, and just to the south east of Lake Manyara national park, lies the 1,400 km2 Tarangire national park next to the Tarangire River. Game animals can move freely between the two reserves via a wildlife corridor that runs south of Lake Manyara. The park is dominated by giants, here you can find many elephants, while the plant kingdoms answer to the elephant - baobab trees are strewn over the landscape. Baobab trees can live for over 1,000 years, and over time they develop enormous trunks. They only bear leaves for a few months a year, and without its leaves the tree resembles a tree trunk with its roots growing out from the top, which is why the tree is sometime called the ”Upside-Down Tree”.

Tarangire is the center of an animal migration, although it is both smaller in size and less famous than that of the Serengeti. The park contains most animals during the dry season between July to October when the River Tarangire is the only permanent water for miles around. During the wetter parts of year, these animals will roam east to the plains of the Masai and north all the way to the Amboseli in Kenya. In addition to elephants, the majority of the classic big game animals can be seen in the park, and it is home to a fine population of giraffes, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest and many different species of antelope, while with a bit of luck all the large species of predator can also be seen here.

In the northern section of the park the landscape is more hilly, with many beautiful trees, while the southern part offers a number of large areas of wetland close to the River Tarangire. The birdlife is generally very impressive with many of the birds of the savannah can be seen, such as weaver birds, parakeets, guinea fowl and birds of prey. It is possible to enjoy safari drives at night here, using spotlights to see the many different animals that are active during the hours of darkness.

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