04°00'S 36°00'E
Tarangire National Park
Baobab country and the greatest elephant herds in Tanzania, five hours from anywhere.
AREA2,850 KM²
ELEVATION1,100–1,600 M
BEST TIMEJune–October, when the river draws the herds
COORDINATES04°00'S 36°00'E
THE FIELD NOTE
Tarangire is the guide's park — the one we send people who have 'already done safari'. In the dry season the Tarangire River becomes the only reliable water for a hundred kilometres, and the elephants arrive in herds of a hundred plus. The baobabs are theatrical, the big cats are underrated, and the tourist density is a fraction of the Serengeti's. It is also the perfect first afternoon: five hours from Arusha or Kilimanjaro airport, and you are standing in mustard-coloured light watching three hundred elephants come to drink.
WHO LIVES HERE
Elephant (large herds)LionLeopardFringe-eared oryxGreater kuduPython
WHAT YOU DO HERE
- —Afternoon-to-dusk game drives along the river line
- —Night drives in the conservancy border zones
- —Walking safaris with Maasai trackers outside the park
- —Silent-tourist-season birding (550+ species)
POSTCARDS
The place in pictures.
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NEARBY COUNTRY
