Tarangire

Tarangire is elephant country. TANAPA counts more than 3,000 elephants here, the densest population in Tanzania, and in the dry season they are joined by massive herds of wildebeest, zebra and buffalo, in a seasonal gathering that TANAPA compares to a migration of its own. Wildlife is present all year, which is why TANAPA calls Tarangire a year-round wildlife paradise.

The setting is unforgettable. Giant baobabs, some of them more than a thousand years old according to TANAPA, rise above the savannah, and old termite mounds, built by termites and hardened by the sun, become lookout posts for lions, cheetahs and mongooses. The combination of elephants, baobabs and open savannah gives Tarangire a character quite different from the other parks of the northern circuit.

June to October is the peak dry season, when wildlife gathers along the river and accommodation should be booked well ahead. From November to May the park is wetter, and TANAPA recommends a four-wheel-drive vehicle and care on muddy sections. Wildlife is present all year, but it is in the dry season that the elephants are joined by the large herds of wildebeest, zebra and buffalo.

June–October

Peak dry season; book well in advance.

November–May

The wet season; some sections become muddy.

The park is reached from Arusha on a good tarmac route via Makuyuni and Minjingu, with final access on graded park roads. Main gates include the Maweninga and Sangaiwe or Kwasuyo corridors. Scheduled and charter flights use Kuro Airstrip inside the park, and the nearest major airports are Kilimanjaro International and Arusha, which makes Tarangire one of the easiest parks of the northern circuit to reach.