Olaitoriani Expeditions

  • Njiro Hill, Arusha Tanzania
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Tarangire National Park

Tarangire home of Elephants

Tarangire National Park is in northern Tanzania, in the Manyara region south of Lake Manyara. It is a good choice if you are looking for more animals and fewer tourists while travelling. Tarangire is a stunning protected area that boasts huge herds of elephants, open plains, and some stunning, gigantic Baobab trees. You are able to walk in Tarangire National Park. This is to be done with a ranger from the property you are staying at. The name of the park originates from the Taragire River that crosses the park. The Tarangire River is the primary source of fresh water for wild animals in the Tarangire Ecosystem during the annual dry season. The

Tarangire Ecosystem is defined by the long-distance migration of wildebeest and zebras. During the dry season, thousands of animals concentrate in Tarangire National Park from the surrounding wet-season dispersal and calving areas

With a game viewing area that is roughly ten times the size of nearby Manyara NP and a concentration of game that is exceptional from July through to October, this seasonal Tanzania safari park is a little gem on the Northern safari circuit, especially if you love elephants! 

Tarangire is the surprise package on the Northern circuit.  Often overshadowed by the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire has huge concentrations of animals in the peak months and a fraction of the visitor numbers of any of the other Northern parks. From July through to October, safaris here are superb, and the atmosphere and habitats are completely different from other parks. Tarangire is surprisingly large, giving visitors the quietest game viewing environment of all the parks in the region.  The South of Tarangire is especially quiet, and lodges such as Swala and Oliver’s Camp are the perfect place to explore this remote area and to really get away from any other travellers.  Overall, a superb little park that offers great value compared to its neighbours and a seriously good option for getting away from it all. 

Location and Geography

Tarangire National Park is located in the northern section of Tanzania, just south of Lake Manyara. The park lies among the meadows of the Masai Steppe (to the southeast) and the Great Rift Valley Lakes (to the west and north).

In the northern region of the park is its lifeline – the permanently flowing Tarangire River. The river flows northwards until the exit, in the northwestern corner, and pours into Lake Burunge.

The 2850 sq. km. plains of the park’s landscapes are dominated by Commiphora bushlands, open grasslands, and acacia woodlands. This is a key habitat for several different savannah mammal species

Tarangire’s Diverse Landscapes

The surroundings of Tarangire National Park vary greatly as one moves about the large area. To begin with, there are lots of grasslands dotted with giant baobab trees. You also have rugged channels, rocky hills, bushlands, and riverine woodlands. Due to the Tarangire River running across the park, there are several floodplains and swamps too.

Reaching Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park is part of the renowned Northern Safari Circuit of Tanzania, and most safaris here start from the town of Arusha. The park is just a couple of hours away from Arusha. Below are the different ways you can access the park.

Climate & Seasons

Tarangire National Park has a mild climate with enjoyable temperatures during the day. Not too hot and not too cold with average temperatures of around 24 degrees during the daytime and 15 degrees during night time. So be sure to bring a sweater if you’re about to embark on a early morning safari, as it can be a bit cold.

The wet seasons are devided between the ‘long rains’ and the ‘short rains’. The ‘long rains’ is the heaviest raining season, which is between the months March and May, the ‘short rains’ is between November and December. 

During the rainy seasons it usually rains in the afternoon and seldom for the entire day. During the long rains there’s more chance of flooding and muddy roads than the short rains. This is usually considered to be the least favorite period to visit Tarangire National Park. The short rain period is often fine to visit. 

Tarangire Accommodation

Here are some of the accommodations in and/or near Tarangire National Park. We have strong relationships with the listed accommodations, but we also maintain excellent connections with many others across Tanzania. We can arrange stays at any Lodge in the country, so feel free to request options that aren’t listed here.

It’s possible to stay in or near the park itself, just outside or in the the town of Mto wa Mbu, if you’re on your way to Serengeti national park.

Tarangire is the best

The fierce sun sucks the moisture from the landscape, baking the earth a dusty red, the withered grass as brittle as straw. The Tarangire River has shrivelled to a shadow of its wet season self. But it is choked with wildlife. Thirsty nomads have wandered hundreds of parched kilometres knowing that here, always, there is water. Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It’s the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem – a smorgasbord for predators – and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed

Tarangire National Park – Activities

Tarangire safaris are the main activity, however, staying outside the park makes walking and night safari a possibility.  There are no boat safaris on the rivers here but Oliver’s Camp offers adventurous fly camping trips and very good walking safaris.  Both Oliver’s Camp and Swala have recently started night safaris within the park itself.  Ask us for more information as the regulations here seem to change every year!

Are night drives allowed in Tarangire? 

Night drives are allowed in Tarangire. Some lodges don’t offer it though due to not having set it up with TANAPA. Also, if your particular lodge is outside the National Park then it will not offer night drives. It is worth checking whether the lodge you are looking at offers it or not before booking if this is something on your hitlist! 

Tarangire – When to go

The game viewing from July though to October is exceptional but for the remainder of the year the majority of game migrates out of the park, onto the floor of the Rift Valley and to the grazing grounds of the Masai steppe.  As a result, we would advise visitors not to expect high concentrations of game in the off season months, but would still recommend travelling here to those who want to avoid the crowds.