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Tarangire National Park is one of the national
parks in Tanzania's northern tourism
circuit. The park is frequently
visited together with Serengeti,
Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. Tarangire
national park and the adjacent Tarangire
Conservation area measures in total
4000Km sq of wild, unspoiled beauty.
Tarangire
National Park alone occupy a total of
2850 Km sq.
Getting To Tarangire National Park
Tarangire is
easily accessible from Arusha.
From Arusha drive the 111 Km to
Kigongoni via Makuyuni. The road
is all tarred to Kigongoni juction.
From Kigongoni turn southwards via a
gravel road and drive 7 km to the park
gate.
Tarangire
Visitor Centre
A kilometre
inside the park is the Tarangire visitor
centre with a viewing platform and lots
of information on the park.
Best time to
visit Tarangire
The best time
is between July and November when
wildlife concentrations are highest.
What to See
and do:
Tarangire has
all the big five (elephant, Rhino,
Buffalo, Leopard, Lion) except the
Rhino. They are called the big
five because they were the most
dangerous and hence prestigious
collections among the trophy hunters.
The park has large elephant population
with herds of hundreds encountered in a
normal visit. Besides the big five, big
mammal species to see include giraffes,
cheetahs, warthogs, hyenas, zebras,
vervet monkeys, olive baboons.
A
silhouette of a lion at sunset in
Tarangire national park
Tarangire is a
famous destination for bird watching
with over 550 species recorded. Included
in the list are Eurasian migrants,
ostrich, hoopoes, parrots, hornbills, go
away birds, helmeted guinea fowls,
yellow-necked spur-fowl, crested
francolins, yellow collared lovebirds,
lilac breasted rollers, barbets, mouse
birds, swifts, sparrows, hammerkops (
King of the birds), plovers, owls,
bustards including Kori bustard (
reputed to be the world's heaviest
flying bird. The best months for bird
watching September to may. Outside the
park is saline lake Burunge with
flocks of pink flamingos
Tarangire boasts of a large herds of
elephants counting to hundreds
Besides
wildlife, Tarangire is famous of its
weird, ungainly and hugely impressive
baobob trees providing wonderful
silhouettes of sunset photography.
The Tarangire
mini migration is an annual migration of
animals within and without Tarangire
National Park. Though not as famous as
the Serengeti Masai Mara migration, it
is quite impressive in terms of
involvement and herds. It includes
3000 elephants, 25,000 wildebeest,
30,000 zebras, gazelles and fringe eared
oryx.
Cultural
Tourism programmes
Day trips can
be organized to the Masai and Barabaig
villages where you learn more about the
communities.
Accommodation in Tarangire
Accommodation
in Tarangire comprise of luxury tented
camps, mid range lodges and budget
campsites.
Beautiful views from Tarangire Safari
Lodge
Oliver's
Camp: 70 km inside the park.
From USD 400 pp. One of the top of
the range tented camps in the park.
Oliver's is a good location for bird
enthusiasts (twitcher's paradise to
say). It enjoys vantage location
atop a hill with panoramic views of the
surrounding area. Closed mid March to
Mid June
Swala Camp:
67 km inside the park. From USD
550 pp. Another upper range
property with luxurious en-suite tents
located on an elevated ground
overlooking a water hole.
Tarangire
Safari Lodge is a budget facility 10
Km inside the park. The lodge
enjoys superb location.
Tarangire
Sopa Lodge is another budget
property inside the park.
In the
Tarangire conservation are
Boundary
Hill Lodge. From USD 250 pp.
Owned 50% by the local Maasai community.
An eco friendly lodge perched on a rocky
hillside. Rely on rain water,
solar panels and wind turbines.
Naitolia Camp:
From USD 290 pp
Sidai
Camp: USD 350 pp
Tarangire Treetops Lodge
from USD 350 pp
Camping is
another option in Tarangire National
Park.
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