Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park

Large Numbers Of Baobab Trees Dotting The Landscape Give The Park A Prehistoric Look The Likes Of Which I Have Never Seen Before. This Park Has A Different Feel To It Than Any Other Northern Park — And An Eerie Feeling At That, Making It One Of My Favorites.

Tarangire Is The Best Park On The Northern Circuit To See Elephant. On A Recent Visit Cynthia Moss, Author Of Elephant Memories And Portraits In The Wild, Identified Over 500 Indi¬vidual Elephants Within The Park In A Week!

Fewer Tourists Visit This Park Than Manyara, Ngorongoro And Serengeti, Allowing A Better Opportunity To Experience It As The Early Explorers Did — Alone. This Park Should Not Be Missed; Wildlife Viewing Is Excellent, Especially From July-October When Many Migratory Animals Return To The Only Permanent Water Source In The Area - The Tarangire River And Its Tributaries.

At The Beginning Of October/November During The Short Rainy Season, Migratory Species Including Wildebeest And Ze¬bra, Soon Followed By Elephant, Buffalo, Grant’s Gazelle, Thomson’s Gazelle And Oryx Begin Migrating Out Of The Park. However, As More And More Migration Routes Are Cut Off From The Expansion Of Man’s Presence, More And More Animals Are Remaining In The Park. Giraffe, Waterbuck, Lesser Kudu And Other Resident Species Tend To Remain In Tarangire. At The End Of The Long Rains In June, The Migratory Species Return To The Park.

Tarangire Wildlife Populations Include Approximately 30,000 Zebra, 25,000 Wildebeest, 5000buffalo, 5000 Eland, 3000 Elephant, 2500 Masai Giraffe And 1000 Oryx. Other Prominent Species Include Grant’s And Thomson’s Gazelle, Hartebeest, Impala, Lesser And Greater Kudu, Reedbuck And Gerenuk. Lion Are Often Seen. Cheetah, Spotted Hyena And Leopard Are Also Present, As Are The Banded, Black-Tipped, Dwarf, And Marsh Mongoose.

The Lemiyon Region, The Northernmost Region Of The Park Which Includes Tarangire Safari Lodge, Is Characterized By A High Concentration Of Baobab Trees Unmatched In Any Park I’ve Seen. This Unique Landscape Is Also Dotted By Umbrella Acacia Trees With Some Open Grasslands And Wooded Areas. Elephant, Wildebeest And Zebra Are Often Seen. On A Recent Visit A Zebra Was Killed By Lion Less Than 200 Yards (200 M) From The Lodge. Visitors With Little Time For Game Viewing May Want To Concentrate On The Matete And The Lemiyon Areas Including The Tarangire River.

The Matete Region Covers The Northeastern Part Of The Park And Is Characterized By Open Grasslands With Scattered Umbrella Acacia And Baobab Trees And The Tarangire River. Lion, Fringe-Eared Oryx And Klipspringer Are Seen Quite Often. Bat-Eared Fox Are Also Present.
On The 50-Mile (80 Km) Burungi Circuit, You Pass Through Acacia Parklands And Woodlands. You Are Likely To See A Number Of Species Including Elephant, Eland And Bushbuck.

The Eastern Side Of The Kitibong Area Is A Good Place To Find Large Herds Of Buffalo. The Eastern Side Is Mainly Acacia Parklands And The Western Side, Thicker Woodlands. The Gursi Section Is Similar To The Kitibong Area With The Addition Of Rainy Season Wetlands, Which Are Home To Large Populations Of Water Birds. African Wild Dogs Are Sometimes Seen.

Hippo Are Found In The Extensive Swamps Of The Lar-Makau Region Located In The Central Eastern Part Of The Park. Nguselororobi, In The South Of The Park, Is Predominantly Swamp With Some Woodlands And Plains. The Mkungunero Section Has A Few Freshwater Pools And A Variety Of Birdlife.

On One Visit, We Spotted Eland, Giraffe, Buffalo, A Few Lion, Oryx, Elephant, Impala, Grant’s Gazelle, Zebra, Hartebeest, War-Thog, Baboon, And Ostrich. We Met One Group Of Game Viewers Who Kept Their Fires Burning All Night To Keep Three Lions They Had Heard Near The Camp At Bay!

Elephants Have Destroyed Many Baobab Trees. A Baobab Tree With A Huge Hole Through The Center Of Its Trunk Can Be Seen Near Tarangire Lodge.

Game Viewing Is Excellent In This 1003-Square-Mile (2600 Km2) Park During The Dry Season From July-October. Over 300 Species Of Birds Have Been Recorded In The Park. Bird Watching Is Best December-May, During The Rainy Seasons Many Roads Become Impassable.

Swimming Pool. Wildlife Viewing Can Be Excellent In The Late After¬noon From The Veranda.
Accommodation On The Periphery Of The Park -Class B: * Oliver’s Base Camp Is A Tented Camp With Private Facilities (12 Beds), Located Outside Of Tarangire National Park. Game Drives Are Offered In The Park While Walks With An Armed Escort, Day And Night Game Drives Are Offered Outside The Park.

Camping: There Are Campsites With No Facilities.