Tarangire Safaris
Famous for its elephants, this stunning park is reminiscent of the southern parks...
Tarangire National Park is often overlooked in Tanzania's northern safari circuit. Only and hour or so's drive out from the city of Arusha, this is arguably one of East Africa's last discovered jewels and is well worth including in a visit up here. Often dubbed as the main reason to come here, the vast elephant herds that wander in and out of the park throughout the year are to be seen to be believed. This is not, however, the only reason to come here with both lesser and great Kudu to be seen, plentiful lion, leopard and cheetah, as well as a variety of interesting habitats and accommodations.
Not much is known of the migratory patterns of the thousands of elephants that arrive into the park for the dry season, although many have been traced from Amboseli National Park in Kenya, almost 300kms away. As they all arrive in the dry season it would suggest that they come here for the nourishment and water that the many baobab trees in the park provide as well as the marshlands along the eastern edge.
One of the great features for those that decide to come and visit the park is that it is still relatively un-crowded (which can be an issue in other parks in the north, such as the Ngorongoro Crater), with only a handful of lodges that sit inside the park. What this allows is a sense of space and also of being able to take time with the animals and not feel like you are rushed at all.
In the last couple of years the park has started to become know and, as such, there are now a handful of camps that have placed themselves on the northern border to the park, in the migratory corridor that runs between Tarangire and Manyara National Parks. From these bases, it is possible to both have a private experience as well as accessing the parks for a more intense game experience.
For us the great benefit of being in Tarangire is that a few of the camps have an opportunity to walk inside the park. This allows a much more personal view and experience of safari and is definitely recommended to all of our clients.
