The scotching sun drains most of the moisture from the terrain, baking the soil to a dusty red, and the grass withers as weak as straw. River Tarangire has dried-up to just shadow of itself in the wet season. however its waters are consumed by the thirsty wildlife. Thirsty wild animals move across several kilometers granted that at least they will find some water here.
There are large elephant herds of as many as 300 individuals that scratch the to 300 elephants scratch the dried out river bed to access water from underground streams, while the decrease levels of water in the lagoons are consumed by the large crowds of migratory wildebeests, zebras, buffalos, impalas, gazelles, hartebeests as well as elands. At this time this park hosts the largesse number of wild animals outside the vast Serengeti Ecosystem. This place which then hosts a profusion of predators is the one place where you can see the dry condition adapted antelopes like the stately fringe-eared oryx as well as the odd long-necked gerenuk in Tanzania.
in the rainy months, the seasonal migrants disperse over the 20,000 square kilometers (12500 square miles) range till they wear out the green plains before returning to the river yet again. However the great number of elephants can easily be seen not only in the dry but the season as well.
The swamps which are green throughout the year are the home to about 550 bird species, making it the most breeding habitat on planet.
Out of the wet ground you will see the Kori bustard which is the heaviest flying species of bird, ground hornbills plus ostriches which are the largest birds in the world.
More enthusiastic bird-lovers if lucky may be able to see flocks of the colorful yellow collared lovebird, as well as the fairly rufous tailed weaver plus the ashy starling; all these species are endemic to the arid savannah in central and northern Tanzania.
Abandoned termite mounds are usually visited by colonies of the charming dwarf mongoose, plus pairs of red and yellow barbet, that draw attention by their characteristic loud duetting.
Pythons living within Tarangire are known for their tree climbing character just as the lions plus the leopards, commonly seen resting in the branches of sausage trees.
Size and location of Tarangire National Park
Tarangire covers a total land expanse of 2850 square kilometers or 1,096 square miles. The park is located 118 kilometers or 75 miles southwest of the town of Arusha.
How to reach Tarangire National Park
a quick drive from the town of Arusha or from Lake Manyara through a surfaced road to over 7km / 4 miles to the park main entrance; from here you can continue to Serengeti as well as Ngorongoro Crater.
there are also Charter flights connecting from Serengeti and Arusha.
Activities to enjoy in Tarangire National Park
Visitors have a number of activities to enjoy within this park among which are: Guided walking safaris, see the numerous very old rock painting found around Kolo along the Dodoma road as well as take day trips to the villages of the Maasai and the Barabaig.
The best time to visit Tarangire National Park
This park can be visited any time of the Year however the dry season from June to September is perfect as there are large numbers of wild animals in the park.