By Farzad Ghotaslou – Art in Tanzania internship
Tarangire National Park is a popular safari destination for tourists in Tanzania. It is mainly combined with visits to Lake Manyara, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater.
Ranking as the 6th largest National Park in Tanzania, covering an area of 2,600 square kilometres, Tarangire National Park is most popular for its large elephant herds and mini-wildlife migration during the dry season, which sees approximately 250,000 animals enter the park. Located slightly off the popular northern Tanzania Safari Circuit, the park lies between the meadows of Masai Steppe to the southeast and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley to the north and west.
Within the northern part of Tarangire is the permanent River Tarangire, also known as the park’s lifeline, particularly in the dry season, when most of the region is dry. This river flows northward until it exits the park in the northwest corner, then pours into Lake Burungi. During the dry season in the south, several vast swamps dry up to reveal green plains.
The park’s name originates from the Tarangire River, which flows through the park. During the annual dry season, the Tarangire River is the primary source of freshwater for wild animals in the Tarangire Ecosystem, which is characterised by the long-distance migration of wildebeests and zebras. During the dry season, thousands of animals concentrate in Tarangire National Park from the surrounding wet-season dispersal and calving areas.
It covers an area of approximately 2,850 square kilometres (1,100 square miles). The landscape is composed of granitic ridges, a river valley, and swamps. The vegetation is a mix of Acacia woodland, Combretum woodland, seasonally flooded grassland, and baobab trees.
The Park is famous for its high density of elephants and baobab trees. Visitors to the park during the dry season, from June to November, can expect to see large herds of thousands of zebras, wildebeests, and Cape buffalo. Other common resident animals include waterbuck, giraffe, dik dik, impala, eland, Grant’s gazelle, vervet monkey, banded mongoose, and olive baboon. Predators in Tarangire include lion, leopard, cheetah, caracal, honey badger, and African wild dog.
The oldest known elephant to give birth to twins is found in the Tarangire region. The recent birth of elephant twins in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park is an excellent example of how these two healthy and thriving twins have beaten the odds.
The park is a haven for bird enthusiasts, housing over 550 bird species. It is also famous for the termite mounds that dot the landscape. Those that have been abandoned are often home to dwarf mongooses. In 2015, a white giraffe, affected by leucism, was spotted in the park. Wildlife research is focused on African bush elephants and Masai giraffes. Since 2005, the protected area has been considered a Lion Conservation Unit.
Every year during the dry season, from June to November, Tarangire hosts a wildlife migration that is less dramatic than the wildebeest migration in Serengeti. Still, it receives a somewhat large number of animals. As most of this part of the country is dry, the Tarangire River remains the only water source. Consequently, it attracts large numbers of wildebeests, elephants, gazelles, zebras, and hartebeest, as well as buffaloes, and various predators, such as lions, that come to drink and graze around the riverbanks. During the rainy months of November to May, the zebras, as well as large herds of wildebeests, move north-westward towards the Rift Valley floor, amongst the large numbers of animals that spread across the vast open areas of the Masai Steppe and disperse to Lake Manyara.
Because Tarangire is mainly a seasonal national park, its wildlife varies depending on the season, considering it is part of a larger ecosystem. As mentioned earlier, the dry season is the best time to visit Tarangire, and you can encounter various animals. This Park is home to one of the largest elephant populations in Africa, with several herds comprising up to 300 members each. In addition, there are large numbers of impalas, elands, buffaloes, giraffes, Bohor reedbuck, Coke’s hartebeest, Thompson’s gazelle, and the greater and lesser kudu. On rare occasions, the unusual gerenuk and fringe-eared Oryx are also seen.
A few black rhinos are also believed to still be present in this park. Large numbers of elephants, wildebeests, and zebras gather here. Among the other common animals in the Tarangire are leopards, lions, hyenas, and cheetahs, which are particularly popular in the southern open areas. Wild dogs are only seen occasionally.
The birds within the Tarangire are also quite many. Over 545 species have been identified in this area. The stunning yellow-collared lovebirds and the shy starlings are in plenty here, in addition to other species.
During the dry months, the concentration of animals around the Tarangire River is almost as diverse and reliable as in the Ngorongoro Crater. However, the ecosystem here is balanced by a localized migration pattern that is followed by most of the game in and around the park. As a result, Tarangire is superb in the season but questionable the rest of the year. Elephants are the main attraction, with up to 3,000 in the park during the peak months. Peak season also sees good numbers of wildebeest and zebra, giraffe, buffalo, Thompson’s gazelle, greater and lesser kudu,
eland, leopard and cheetah. The actual prizes in the park are dwarf mongooses, oryx, and gerenuks – but viewings are rare.
Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry riverbed 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.
During the rainy season, the seasonal visitors scatter over a 20,000 sq km (12,500 sq miles) range until they exhaust the green plains, and the river calls once more. But
Tarangire’s mobs of elephants are easily encountered, wet or dry. The swamps, tinged green year-round, are home to 550 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world.
On drier ground, you find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thighed ostrich, the world’s largest bird; and small parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys.
More ardent bird lovers might keep an eye open for screeching flocks of the dazzlingly colourful yellow-collared lovebird and the somewhat drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling – all endemic to the dry savannah of north-central Tanzania.
Disused termite mounds are often frequented by colonies of the endearing dwarf mongoose and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention to themselves by their loud, clockwork-like duetting.
The permanent Tarangire River is the most dominant feature here, and it’s after this river that the park was named. Several extensive swamps feed off some of its tributaries; however, these are usually dry for most of the year but get very impassable during the rains. Tarangire Park is generally arid, but in fact, it is drier than the Serengeti. However, its vegetation is much greener, especially with lots of elephant grass, vast areas of mixed acacia woodlands, and some of the fabulous ribbons of the aquatic forest, not to forget the giant baobab tree, which can live up to 600 years, storing between 300 and 900 litres of water.
Located slightly off the main safari route, Tarangire National Park is a serene park in northern Tanzania. It is most famous for its elephant migration, birding, and authentic safari atmosphere. Most travellers to the region either miss out on Tarangire altogether or venture into the park for a matter of hours, leaving swathes of Tarangire virtually untouched!
Tarangire safaris are the main activity; however, staying outside the park makes walking and night safaris possible. 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. Please ask us for more information, as the regulations here seem to change annually.
During your Safari in Tarangire, it is highly recommended that you stay for a couple of days, especially in the south of the park. This area offers a less crowded safari experience, allowing you to enjoy an authentic African feel of Tanzania’s countryside.
Tarangire is the surprise package on the Northern circuit. Often overshadowed by the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire boasts immense concentrations of animals during the peak months and significantly fewer visitor numbers compared to other Northern parks. From July to October, safaris here are superb, and the atmosphere and habitats are entirely different from those in 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 get away from other travellers. Overall, it is a superb little park that offers excellent value compared to its neighbours and is a seriously good option for getting away from it all.
The game viewing from July through to October is exceptional, but for the remainder of the year, most of the 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 advise visitors not to expect high concentrations of games during the off-season months, but we still recommend travelling here to those who want to avoid the crowds.
The best time to visit Tarangire is likely during the dry season, from June to October, when game viewing is at its best. Tsetse flies tend to be flawed from December to March, so although this is a good time to go to the Serengeti for the wildebeest calving, Tarangire is best avoided now.
Reference:
- “Tanzania National parks Corporate Information”. Tanzania Parks..
- “Trunk Twins : Elephant Twins Born in Tarangire | Asilia Africa”.
- Hale, T. (2016). “Incredibly Rare White Giraffe Spotted In Tanzania”. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
- IUCN Cat Specialist Group (2006). Conservation Strategy for the Lion Panthera leo in Eastern and Southern Africa. Pretoria, South Africa: IUCN.
- Wilkipedia
- https://www.tanzaniatourism.go.tz
- Trip Advisor
