Tarangire National Park:
Tarangire National Park is Tanzania’s sixth largest national park, and it is located in the Manyara region. Tarangire National Park, located just off the main safari route, is a nice, calm park in Northern Tanzania. It is most known for its elephant migration, birding, and true safari atmosphere. The bulk of visitors to the region either skip Tarangire entirely or only visit the park for a few hours, leaving large areas completely unexplored! The park takes its name from the Tarangire River, which runs through it. During the annual dry season, the Tarangire River serves as the principal supply of fresh water for the Tarangire Ecosystem’s wildlife. The Tarangire Ecosystem is typified by wildebeest and zebra migrations over great distances. During the dry season, hundreds of animals congregate in Tarangire National Park from nearby wet-season dispersal and calving sites.
It has an area of roughly 2,850 square kilometres (1,100 square miles). The topography consists of granitic mountains, river valleys, and marshes. The vegetation consists of Acacia woodland, Commiphora-Combretum woodland, periodically flooded grassland, and Baobab trees.
With a game viewing area about ten times the size of nearby Manyara National Park and an excellent concentration of game from July to October, this seasonal Tanzania safari park is a hidden gem on the Northern safari circuit, particularly if you enjoy elephants!
Tarangire is a surprise on the Northern circuit. Tarangire is frequently overshadowed by the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, yet it boasts massive concentrations of wildlife during peak months and a fraction of the visitor numbers of the other Northern parks. Safaris here are excellent from July to October, and the atmosphere and habitats are unlike those seen in other parks. Tarangire is unexpectedly huge, offering tourists the quietest game viewing conditions of any park in the vicinity. The south of Tarangire is exceptionally tranquil, and resorts like Swala and Oliver’s Camp are ideal for exploring this secluded area and truly getting away from other travellers. Overall, a fantastic little park that is a wonderful deal compared to its neighbours and an excellent choice for getting away from it all.
The park is noted for its abundance of elephants and baobab trees. Visitors to the park during the dry season from June to November can expect to witness enormous herds of zebra, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo. Other common resident animals include waterbuck, giraffe, dik-dik, impala, eland, Grant’s gazelle, vervet monkey, banded mongoose, and olive baboon. Tarangire’s predators include lions, leopards, cheetahs, caracals, honey badgers, and African wild dogs.
Tarangire National Park contains some of Tanzania’s greatest elephant population density, and its sparse vegetation, scattered with baobab and acacia trees, makes it a lovely and different place to explore.
Tarangire, located just a few hours’ drive from Arusha, is a popular stop for those going through the northern safari circuit on their way to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. The park is divided into two game-controlled zones, and the wildlife can travel freely throughout.
Before the rains, thousands of gazelles, wildebeests, zebras, and giraffes move to Tarangire National Park’s scrub plains, where the remaining grazing ground is still available. Tarangire provides unparalleled game viewing opportunities, with elephants in plenty throughout the dry season. Pachyderm families frolic about the ancient baobab trunks and shred acacia bark from thorn trees for their midday meal. Tarangire offers breathtaking views of the Maasai Steppe and the highlands to the south, making it a great stopping destination.
Herds of up to 300 elephants search the dry river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest, and eland clog the decreasing lagoons. It has the highest concentration of species outside of the Serengeti habitat, making it a feeding ground for predators, and it is the only area in Tanzania where dry-country antelope like the stately fringe-eared oryx and unique long-necked gerenuk may be seen on a regular basis.
Since 2005, the protected area has been designated as a Lion Conservation Unit.
During the dry season, the concentration of animals near the Tarangire River is nearly as diverse and consistent as the Ngorongoro Crater. However, the ecosystem is balanced by a limited movement pattern followed by the majority of the game that lives in and around the park. As a result, Tarangire is excellent during the season but doubtful the rest of the year.
During the rainy season, seasonal tourists spread across a 20,000 square kilometre (12,500 square mile) area until they have exhausted the verdant plains and the river cries once more. But Tarangire’s elephant herds are easily encountered, wet or dry. The marshes, which are green all year, are home to 550 different bird species, the most breeding species in a single environment anywhere in the world.
On drier terrain, you can see the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thighed ostrich, the world’s largest bird; and tiny flocks of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys.
More eager birdwatchers might keep a look out for screeching flocks of the dazzlingly colourful yellow-collared lovebird, as well as the somewhat drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling, all of which are native to the arid savannah of north-central Tanzania.
Disused termite mounds are frequently visited by colonies of the charming dwarf mongoose and couples of red-and-yellow barbets, which attract attention with their loud, clockwork-like duetting.
Tarangire’s pythons, as well as its lions and leopards, climb trees and lounge in the branches where the sausage tree’s fruit hides the twitch of a tail.
The game viewing is excellent from July to October, but for the rest of the year, the majority of the wildlife migrates out of the park, onto the Rift Valley floor, and to the Masai steppe grazing grounds. As a result, visitors should not expect significant concentrations of game during the off season, but I would still recommend coming here if you want to avoid the crowds.
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