Tarangire National Park

The Park at a Glance

Tarangire lies in the Manyara Region and is run by TANAPA, Tanzania's national parks authority. Its vegetation is Acacia and Combretum woodland, seasonally flooded grassland, granitic ridges and swamps. Wikipedia records 161,792 visitors to the park in 2012, and the park has been a Lion Conservation Unit since 2005.

The park sits about 120 km from Arusha according to Journeys by Design. Wikipedia places it about 70 km from Lake Manyara National Park, so the two combine easily on a single route. If you want the neighbouring lake in depth, see the guide to Lake Manyara National Park.

The River, the Swamps and the Baobabs

The Tarangire River gives the park its name and its dry-season drama. Wikipedia says the river rises in the Irangi Hills and escarpment of Babati and Kondoa districts and ends at Lake Burunge. In the dry season its flow drops to about 0.005 m³/s and long stretches of the riverbed run dry, with mean annual rainfall of just 656 mm. SafariBookings calls the river the only source of drinking water for miles around in the dry season, which is exactly why the animals concentrate along it.

The south of the park is, in SafariBookings' words, a vast seasonal swamp network. The best known is the Silale Swamp, which Easy Travel Tanzania places in the southwestern part of the park and describes as a birdwatching highlight, including the kori bustard. Simba Paka Safaris calls the Silale Swamp a permanent water source that draws wildlife from a wide area, with good viewing through September.

Then there are the baobabs. Wikipedia says large baobab species such as Adansonia digitata reach 25 to 30 m in height and that African baobabs can store up to 120,000 litres of water in the trunk. Trunk rings are not annual, so baobab ages are estimated by radiocarbon dating rather than counted.

The Dry-Season Gathering

Elephants are the headline. SafariBookings reports dry-season herds of up to 300 elephants that dig for water in dry riverbeds, and says elephants are most abundant from July to November. Wikipedia records a high density of elephants in the park and notes that the oldest known elephant to give birth to twins was recorded here. TAWIRI, the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, runs a long-term elephant study in the park and has monitored 29 families of the northern Tarangire sub-population, with 55 births recorded.

The sources agree on the pattern: in the dry season the animals come to the river, and Journeys by Design confirms herds of up to 300 elephants come to the water.

Beyond elephants, SafariBookings says the lion is the only big cat regularly seen in Tarangire, and that dwarf mongoose colonies live in abandoned termite mounds. Simba Paka Safaris adds that wildlife is most visible through September, when the grass is thin and short after the long rains, and that the park turns green again in early June before water becomes scarcer by late June.

Birders have the strongest numbers of all: more than 550 bird species, resident and migratory, per Wikipedia and Easy Travel Tanzania. For comparison, the Serengeti animals guide covers a park with more than 500 bird species.

Tsetse Flies in the Woodland

What the tsetse fly can transmit, which colours attract it and how to treat a bite are covered in depth in the dedicated tsetse fly guide.

Entry and Activity Fees

The tariff sets the Tarangire conservation fee for non-East African adults at $50 per day in peak season and $45 in low season. Children aged 5 to 15 pay $15 per day. If you stay inside the park overnight, the hotel concession fee at Tarangire is $40 per adult per night and $10 per child. Night game drives are offered at Tarangire under the tariff at $50 per adult and $25 per child aged 5 to 15, which the Serengeti does not list. Duma Explorer, a second source, lists Tarangire entry at $59 for adults in high season and $53.10 in low season, figures that appear to include VAT, so ask your operator which basis it quotes.

The tariff document read here is the latest one found online. No newer official tariff could be confirmed, so treat these as the latest published figures and expect the operator's invoice to show VAT on top.

When to Go

SafariBookings says the best time for Tarangire is July to November, the high season runs June to October, and the wet season runs November to May with short rains in November and December. That matches the wildlife pattern: elephants are most abundant from July to November and viewing is sharpest through September when the grass is short. Simba Paka Safaris says July is when high season begins and the park is green after the long rains in early June.

In practice, the dry-season window is when the Tarangire River earns its role as the only drinking water for miles. For how this window fits the wider year across the north, see the guide to the best time to visit Serengeti, which covers the same rain calendar.

The Packages That Open With Tarangire

Several bookable itineraries in this site's catalog use Tarangire as the first park on the northern circuit. The 5-Day Serengeti Camping Safari costs $1,320 per person, has 319 reviews with a 5 rating, and adds a full Tarangire day before the Serengeti and the crater, with all fees and taxes listed as included and a free Arusha hotel night before and after.

For lodge beds, the 4-Day Serengeti Mid-Range Safari costs $1,750 per person and has its first night at Suricata Boma Lodge near Tarangire. Note that this listing does not state whether park fees are in the price, so ask the operator before you book.

Longer trips also open here. The 8-Day Serengeti Migration Safari at $4,257 per person includes Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and the crater with park fees and taxes listed as included, and the Mara River Crossing Safari at $3,763 per person has Tarangire plus three nights of mobile camps that follow the migration, with park entrance fees listed as included. Night game drives, where offered, are a separate tariff item at $50 per adult and are not named in any of these itineraries.