Tarangire National Park Adventures

A Safari With Land's Largest Mammals

Tarangire National Park Adventures are some of the outstanding adventures on the northern Tanzania tourism circuit. The park is located in Northern Tanzania and together with Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu conservation area and Lake Manyara form the famous northern tourism circuit.

This Northern tourism circuit has the most famous Tanzania Safari destinations and experiences. These include the Big cats, wildebeest migration safaris, birding, and other leading classic African Safari experiences in Serengeti National Park. The Ngorongoro Crater is an attraction itself but also a great place for safaris featuring the big five mammals, birds, and other safari animals including zebras and wildebeests.

Lake Manyara National Park has the Lake as the leading attraction but there are various safari animals present here. The Ndutu Conservancy is a great place for the big cats and the wildebeest migration also pass here. All these places and experiences make the north more competitive than the Southern Tanzania Safari experiences. Safari destinations in the south are however exclusive and offer great opportunities for wildlife encounters.

Tarangire National Park Adventures are more exclusive when compared to Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater. This is because the park is not frequented as much as the latter destinations. Let us briefly look at the park and what makes it unique.

About Tarangire National Park

The park covers a land area of 2,850 square kilometers and it is the 6th Largest national park in Tanzania. It was named after River Tarangire which crosses the park. This also doubles as the primary source of water for the various wildlife species in the Park.

Just like many other destinations in Tanzania, Tarangire also has a diverse ecosystem. This mainly includes savanna grasslands and woodlands, baobab trees, swampy vegetation that often floods in the dry season, and a few ridges and valleys. It is in this ecosystem you find the various wildlife species the park has.

Wildlife Species in Tarangire

Tarangire is most famous for its elephant herds. Over 300 of these can be seen while on game drives in the park, especially in the dry season. Giraffes, hippos, zebras, buffaloes, and lions are also commonly seen here.

The park has its own wildlife migration where you can Catch up with migrating safari animals including the wildebeest, hartebeests, gazelles, and zebras among others. This migration is very spectacular and offers you an opportunity for a variety of wildlife viewing. It is also exclusive and more enjoyable compared to the Serengeti Wildebeest Migration.

There are over 500 bird species recorded here which also makes it a great birding safari destination. In terms of vegetation, the Boabab tree one of the longest-living plant species stands out. You can spot a number of these while in the area and study about them.

Discovery Journeys in Tarangire

There are quite a number of activities and Discovery Journeys you can be part of when in Tarangire National Park. They mainly include game drives on which you will see at least 90% of the wildlife species in the park. It is usually recommended to start early morning to catch up with the early risers, especially the predators.

Even Lions are easily seen while on safari here, they are most active during early morning and evening hours. Having a game drive early morning or in the evening is therefore highly recommended if you want to see live predator action that can include hunting.

For those interested in a panoramic view of the park, balloon safari adventures are organized here as well. A ride above the sky makes you appreciate Mother Nature and gives you a great and different perspective and wildlife.

Birding safaris are also organized here where you get to meet some of the notable bird species in the park. Some of the common birds seen on Tarangire National Park adventures include the Tawny eagle, the red-bellied parrot, and the Ashy starling which is also endemic to the park.

When to Visit

Overall Tanzania Safaris can be enjoyed in the dry season from June to October. This is also the dry season when various animals gather around River Tarangire to take water. It is also the time when wildlife migration happens and therefore the best recommended time to Visit. With the little rainfall disturbances, it is even easier to have game drives through the different trails in the park.

The wet months from November to May are also great times to visit as migratory birds are present here. The rainfall also enables the growth of lush vegetation that major grazers don’t go far and might be easily spotted as well. The peak of the wet season though in March and April has a high chance of rainfall and some game drive tracks get muddy.

Depending on the time you have in Tanzania, you can combine all the major destinations in the north. Our 7 Days Tanzania Safari features a game drive in Tarangire and other adventures in Ndutu, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti National Park. Our 9 Days Tanzania safari on the other hand is very extensive and includes a Night at Tarangire National Park.

Other than Tanzania, We also organize safari adventures to Volcanoes National Park featuring gorilla trekking and golden monkeys. Rwanda is most famous for primates which also includes chimpanzee trekking. You can therefore book a primate safari adventure to Nyungwe forest for chimpanzee trekking, and mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, and then Visit Northern Tanzania.