Tarangire National Park portal is a non-commercial with all information from wildlife, attractions, Tarangire activities, to safari accommodation, when to go, how to get there, Tarangire Safaris & Tours, Cost of Tarangire Safari and a travel blog.
Ranking as the 6th largest National Park in Tanzania and covering an area of 2,600 square kilometres, The Tarangire National Park is most popular for its large elephant herds and mini-wildlife migration that takes place during the dry season which sees about 250,000 animals enter the park.

Location Of Tarangire National Park

Slightly off the popular northern Tanzania Safari Circuit, the park lies between the meadows of Masai Steppe to the south east and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley to the north and west. Within the northern part of Tarangire is the permanent River Tarangire also known as the life-line of the park particularly in the dry season when most of the region is totally dry. This flows northwards until it exits the park in the northwestern corner to pour into Lake Burungi. There are a number of wide swamps which dry into green plains during the dry season in the south.

During you Safari in Tarangire, you are highly recommended to stay for a couple of days especially in the south of the park which offers a less crowded safari experience and gives you the opportunity to enjoy an authentic African feel of the Tanzania’s countryside.

Tarangire Vegetation

The permanent Tarangire River is the most dominant feature here and it’s after this river that the park was named. there are a number of large swamps that feed off some of its tributaries however, these are usually dry for most of the year but get very impassable during the rains .The Tarangire park is usually very dry, in fact drier than the Serengeti, however its vegetation is much more green especially with lots of elephant grass, vast areas with mixed acacia woodlands and some of the wonderful ribbons of the aquatic forest not to forget the giant baobab tree that can live up to 600 years storing between 300 and 900 litters of water

Tarangire Wildebeest Migration

The wildebeest Migration occurs every year during the dry season from June to November Tarangire hosts a wildlife migration which is not as dramatic as the Wildebeest Migration in the Serengeti, but receives a somewhat large number of animals. As most of this part of the country is dry, the Tarangire River remains the only source of water and consequently attracts large numbers of wildebeests, elephants, gazelles, zebras and hartebeest, buffaloes plus various predators like lions that come to drink and graze around the river banks. during the rain months of November to May, the zebras as well as large herds of wildebeests move into the north-western direction towards the Rift Valley floor amongst the large numbers of animals that spread across the large open areas of the Maasai Steppe and dispersing all the way to Lake Manyara.

Animals Of Tarangire National Park

Tarangire and you will be able to encounter various animals. This park is home to one of the largest elephant populations in Africa with several herds of up to 300 members per herd. In addition, there are large numbers of impalas, elands, buffaloes, giraffes, Bohor reedbuck, Coke’s hartebeest, Thompson’s gazelle, the greater and lesser kudu and on rare occasions, the unusual gerenuk and fringe –eared Oryx are also seen. A few black rhinos are also thought to be still present in this park. You will obviously see big numbers of elephants gather here as well as the wildebeests and zebras. Among the other common animals in the Tarangire are the leopards, lions, hyenas, and cheetah that seem to be popular within the southern open areas. The wild dogs are only seen once in a while

The birds within the Tarangire are also quite many, there are over 545 species that have been identified here. The stunning yellow collared lovebirds and the shy starlings are in plenty here in addition to other species.

Cost of Tarangire Safari

The overall cost of a Tarangire Safari is determined by the type of accommodation you will be staying and the activities you are going to engage in. Staying at the super luxury facilities like Chem Chem Lodge for $1,250 per person or Little Chem Chem for $1,200 per night or the Kuro Camp for $857 per night will certainly be shot up your safari cost. While mid-range facilities like Tarangire River Camp and the Maramboi tent that charges will offer you a lower safari cost. For budget travellers Lake Burunge Tented Camp will be a good option.

Activities in Tarangire National Park

Game Drives and walking tours.

The primary safari activity in this park is game drives, however if you live beyond its boundaries, you may be able to benefit from walking safaris. and nighttime forays. Oliver’s Camp now offers fly camping safaris as well as walking activities.

Night Game Drives.

In Tarangire, is it feasible to go on a nighttime wildlife drive? In the park, night game drives are allowed, however not all accommodations provide them. These treks are only allowed to be conducted by individuals who have appropriately established all of the guidelines and limitations supplied by TANAPA, such as Swala and Oliver’s camp.

Tarangire Balloon Safaris.
Experience the Tarangire from a different angle and see the ungulates and lions that are right below you as you go on a hot air balloon ride.

Birding in Tarangire National Park.

Tarangire National Park, a wildlife viewing location in northern Tanzania, offers a variety of activities for tourists to enjoy, one of which is bird watching.

Since a variety of bird species can be spotted at various sites inside the national park during a safari, the park is a year-round destination for wildlife viewing. Visitors can also partake in bird watching experiences.

The savannah plains of Tarangire National Park are home to enormous herds of elephants, but the park is also well-known for its diverse array of avian species, which includes both migratory and native bird species.

The greatest time of year to go bird watching is during the wet season, which runs from November to March in Tarangire National Park. This is when most people prefer to visit. The native birds are breeding during this time of year, and migratory bird species are seen.

Tourists must pay entrance fees—53 USD for non-residents and Tanzanian shillings for East Africans—in order to participate in these bird watching excursions and other activities within Tarangire National Park.

Children and adults who want to see different attractions and partake in different activities during their safaris pay varying entrance fees when visiting Tarangire National Park.

Birdwatching in Tarangire National Park offers opportunities to witness a variety of species, including spur fowls, bee eaters, plovers, eagles, vultures, ostriches, hornbills, kori bustards, rufous tailed weavers, ashy starlings, and yellow collared love birds.

The tall grasslands and marshy floodplains, along with the forests that serve as both food sources and habitat for several bird species, are among the best places in Tarangire National Park to go bird watching. While some bird species can be observed during various birding activities at the location, others are only known to occur in particular regions surrounding the national park.

In addition to swamps that encircle portions of the park, the Tarangire River meanders through it, serving as a vital source of water for various wildlife species, particularly during the dry season when they congregate to drink.

The national park is divided between areas with baobab trees, acacia woods, savannah plains, and marshy floodplains. This is the breathtaking view that visitors to Tarangire National Park can look forward to experiencing while bird watching.
The national park’s drier regions are particularly popular places for bird viewing, where visitors may observe a variety of bird species and take in the breathtaking surroundings.

Best time to visit Tarangire national park.

We suggest that the best time to visit Tarangire National Park is between June and October. This month marks the start of the region’s dry season, which makes for perfect game viewing conditions. However, this does not imply that any other months outside of this window are off limits—quite the contrary!

All year long, this national park is a fantastic place to visit. The experiences and activities you hope to have while traveling will determine the best time to visit Tarangire National Park. Check out our month-by-month guide below to determine the ideal time of year to visit this undiscovered Tanzanian gem.

Month-by-Month Guide for Travelling to Tarangire National Park

Visiting Tarangire National Park from January to March.

Tarangire’s green season runs from January through March. With the lushest and most abundant greenery, your safari experiences will have amazing natural scenery. Around 500 different kinds of migratory and sedentary birds can be seen in the park, making it the ideal season to go birdwatching in the area. Crested francolins, hoopoes, hornbills, bateleur eagles, brown parrots, crested francolins, and enormous lappet-faced vultures are a few of the birds that are frequently seen.

Travelling through Tarangire National Park in April & May.

Tarangire’s rainy season, which runs from April to May, is when most of the park experiences significant rainfall and the greatest chance of malaria. However, not all is bleak. You can benefit from lower lodging costs and less crowds during this time as it falls during the off-peak travel season in the area. Although you won’t see as many animals as you would during the dry season, this is a great time to go birdwatching and enjoy terrific game viewing. This is mostly because of the thick undergrowth that makes it challenging to see wildlife and because animals from the dry season, such gerenuk and oryx, migrate out of the park.

Travelling to Tarangire National Park from June to October.
Tarangire National Park is best visited between June and October for the best chances of seeing wildlife. Falling during the region’s dry season, the foliage thins down, making wildlife more easier to observe. Additionally, the water supply is soon running out, leaving only a few water sources for animals to congregate around: The Tarangire River and the river valley’s wetlands.

The most well-known feature of Tarangire during the dry season is the opportunity to witness the lions that climb trees, along with other animals including elephants, spotted hyenas, wildebeest, giraffes, and zebras. The icing on the cake is that mosquito and fly populations are at their lowest from June to October, which means that there won’t be any bothersome pests buzzing around your head and that the risk of malaria is also at its lowest!

Visiting Tarangire National Park During November & December.

Tarangire national park has got quite a big number of attractions available to visitors for viewing and they include;

Wildlife species.

The park is an interesting destination situated the northern direction and providing all year-round fantastic opportunities for wildlife viewing to visitors. Various wildlife species, including large herds of elephants, buffalo, zebras, gazelles, Kudu, hartebeests, wildebeests, waterbucks, elands, giraffes, dik dik, and olive baboons, as well as predators like leopards, lions, cheetahs, and caracals, among others, can be seen during safaris in the national park.

Bird species.
Numerous bird species are among the things that guests on safari in Tarangire National Park may see. Ostriches, starlings, bee eaters, kori bustards, vultures, eagles, striped swallows, plovers, and hammer kops are a few of the bird species that can be seen.

Local community.
In Tarangire National Park, visitors also engage with the Maasai people, who are known for living nomadic lives.

Why should you visit Tarangire national park?

On the so-called Northern Safari Circuit, Tarangire receives the fewest visitors while being easily accessible. But don’t let that deter you—when the timing is right, a Tarangire safari can offer some of Tanzania’s best wildlife viewing.

Tarangire is home to all the traditional African savannah species plus a few uncommon ones, such the long-necked gerenuk, that you won’t see in the Serengeti. It is most renowned for its herds of elephants and its tree-climbing lions. With 550 species of birds on the list, it’s a great place for bird lovers to visit and is home to all the big predators.

However, Tarangire’s dry season is what will make you want to use all caps. Large concentrations of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, and several antelope species are drawn to the Tarangire River, which flows north-south through the park, between June and October. This time of year, Tarangire offers safaris with animal concentrations that are only surpassed by those in the Ngorongoro Crater—but with less people around.

A movement of animals away from the river occurs when the November and December brief rains arrive, particularly grazers like zebras and wildebeests. It’s usually dry in January and February, but it starts to rain again in March. Visitors should avoid the heavy rains in April and May, as they make most of the park inaccessible and force most camps to close.
Tarangire is primarily covered in open woods with thick forest situated along the river, providing leopards with optimal cover. This makes Tarangire more thickly vegetated than the Serengeti’s wide grasslands. The baobab, often known as the “upside down tree,” is the most peculiar-looking tree in Africa, and it’s the greatest site to observe it in northern Tanzania.

Lions and other predators are frequently spotted, among others. More than 500 different bird species can be found in the park, some of which are unique to Tanzania. Walking safari camps are located in the southern portion of the park, far from the busy north, allowing visitors to fully immerse themselves in the experience of experiencing the African wilderness on foot.

Some of the largest populations of elephants in the nation are found in Tarangire. 5000 of these gentle giants migrate to Tarangire during the peak migration season, which lasts from July to October, and you can occasionally see groups of 300 elephants at once. These meadows are traversed by creatures besides elephants. There are also other mammals like lions, zebras, and antelopes can be found.

Tarangire national park is different from other national parks because of the huge grasslands and Baobab trees that give it a harsh, “Out of Africa” feel. It’s an easy excursion, simply a short drive on tarmac roads from Arusha, and is perfect for a one- or two-day safari after climbing Kilimanjaro or taking part in other safaris in Tanzania. Go on a walking safari, marvel at ancient baobabs, and uncover hundreds of ancient rock paintings in the Kolo region.

How to Get to Tarangire National Park.

By air

Flying into Kilimanjaro International Airport, which is just next to Arusha town and the beginning of the northern safari circuit tourism parks, is the best route to reach Tarangire. A domestic trip to Arusha Airport can also be purchased after landing at Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport. Take a flight to Nairobi, Kenya, then a bus to get from Arusha to Nairobi to save money on your ticket. A late afternoon arrival in Arusha is possible if you choose a morning pick-up. Typically, your tour operator will pick you up at the airport and make arrangements for any necessary further transportation.

The two-hour drive from Arusha to the Tarangire entrance gate is also a delightful option. There are regular flights from Arusha and the Serengeti to Tarangire. Moving on, it is simple to reach Lake Manyara (100 km/60 mi in about two hours) and the Ngorongoro crater (180 km/ 110 km in about four hours).

Typically, these charter flights would be arranged by your safari or tour operator as part of your safari package. Any domestic airline, such as Air Tanzania, precise Air, Regional Air, Zan Air, safari Air link, or Coastal Aviation, can be used to book domestic flights.

By Road

It takes two to three hours to travel 140 kilometers from Arusha to Tarangire National Park. Unfortunately, a lot of people think that a Tarangire safari is solitary, but if you go there in the dry season, especially if you explore the southern parts of the park, you will be rewarded with breathtaking views of animals. Along with the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater, Tarangire should be explored as part of the well-known northern safari circuit.

Tarangire National Park’s Weather and Climate.

Tarangire National Park has pleasant, temperate weather. The “long rains” (March to May) and the “short rains” (November to December) are the two wet seasons. Usually just in the late afternoon, it doesn’t rain all day. The mornings and nights can get cold, even though it doesn’t get very hot. Wearing layers of clothing is recommended for game drives in the morning.

The dry months are August, September, October, June, July, and July/August. It’s afternoon and 26°C (79°F) outside. The sky is calm and the days are sunny. The temperature decreases to roughly 14°C (57°F) at night.

A dry period follows the sporadic precipitation in January and February. It is difficult to predict the precise timing. There are “long rains” in March, April, and May. The majority of the time it rains, but it rarely pours all day. It often has clouds in the sky. In April and May, cold fronts can cause precipitous drops in temperature.

Where to stay while in Tarangire National Park.

Are you looking for a place where to stay while in Tanzania? In Tarangire National Park, there is a large selection of hotels to pick from that will meet all of your needs. On every type of hotel that your heart wants, you may be certain to find excellent bargains with discounted rates. By making reservations at any lodging facility within Tarangire National Park, your tour operators can help you save time and money.
The location of hotels in the Tarangire Park neighborhood can be found on a map using additional attributes. It is actually simpler to book a guest’s reservation at a hotel in Tarangire Park through your tour operator. Even when you wish to remain on a tight budget, it’s easy; you can use our site to look for your ideal lodging. You may view the best deals on the various hotel rooms in Tarangire National Park by inputting your travel dates.

Types of Accommodation in Tarangire National Park.

There are several safari hotels and tented camps available for your Tarangire park vacation lodging, both inside the park and in the areas outside. Enjoy a great deal of affordable prices for your comfortable stay while here with a list of these lodging options and a practical map. With a variety of lodging options, including affordable, mid-range, and upscale lodges and luxury tented camps, you may find a somewhere to stay regardless of your budget. There are sizable lodges with stunning park views that are situated in plainly great locations.

Tarangire Safari Lodge.

It is perched high on a cliff and provides unbroken views of animals along the Tarangire River’s banks, especially during certain times of the year. Inside the park gate, it is only a short 10-kilometer drive away, and it has thatched bungalows or close-knit tents that can serve as your ideal lodging.

Luxury accommodation in Tarangire National Park.

For tourists looking to experience some safari luxury, excellent comfort, and the possibility of camping, the park provides a number of lovely luxury options. The top luxury properties in Tangerine are listed below.

Tarangire treetops.

It is situated in a private reserve that borders both Tarangire National area and the nearby Maasai Steps, making it the most well-known luxury resort in the entire area. On a clear day, this facility boasts some of the largest safari rooms in the nation, built around enormous baobab trees with views of Lake Manyara, the rift valley wall, and Mount Kilimanjaro. It offers 20 private tree houses, each with a huge balcony, modern furnishings made of natural materials, and an en suite bathroom with a double shower that runs both hot and cold water. Additional features include a fully equipped bar, a spotless pool, and an excellent restaurant. You can engage in maasai culture village tours, outdoor hikes, and nocturnal game drives, among other things.

Nimali Tarangire.

Visitors can enjoy an unrestricted safari experience at this permanent tented Lodge, which is situated within a private reserve along the northern border of the Tarangire National Park. Walking safaris and night game drives, which aren’t permitted in other northern Tanzanian national parks, are just a few of the varied activities you can take part in while staying here. It features 6 exquisite, opulently equipped tented chambers, each with a sizable private veranda from which visitors may take in panoramic views of the surroundings.

Sanctuary Swala Camp.

The Sanctuary Swala Camp was created under the shelter of enormous acacia trees and offers uninterrupted views over the nearby wide Savannah region. It is situated in one of the most remote parts of this National Park. It has 12 opulent canvas tent rooms with king-sized mattresses, plush sofas, and private bathrooms. Each accommodation has unlimited Wi-Fi, a fully stocked bar where guests may sip cocktails, and is actually a true haven of luxury in Tanzania’s bush. There is a pool, a campfire pit, and a sizable terrace where visitors may see various wildlife from the comfort of their rooms.

Mid-range Accommodation.

Sangaiwe Tented Lodge.

Each accommodation has unlimited Wi-Fi, a fully stocked bar where guests may sip cocktails, and is actually a true haven of luxury in Tanzania’s bush. There is a pool, a campfire pit, and a sizable terrace where visitors may see various wildlife from the comfort of their rooms.

Tarangire Safari Lodge.

This lodge is the oldest in the entire Tarangire National Park and is perched high above the surrounding area on a natural bluff, providing visitors with expansive views. Tented rooms and bungalows are available for lodging, and there is an outdoor dining area, a swimming pool, and a gift shop.

Maramboi Tented Camp.

This building, which is a 38-room complex, is a part of the renowned Tanganyika wilderness camps, which are comparable to the Serengeti’s kati kàti. Each of the rooms has an attached bathroom, a private patio, plus extras like a campfire and a big pool. The rooms are constructed on private terraces. Game drives in both Tarangire and the nearby Lake Manyara National Parks are among the things that can be enjoyed here.

Budget Facilities.

Whistling Thorn Tented Camp.

This is the only budget accommodation facility found in the Tarangire region. It offers 6 canvas permanent tents that are grass thatched and spacious which can accommodate a maximum of 15 people each night. There is a communal dining area where guests can enjoy their meals.

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