Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park is famous for its vast elephant herds and iconic baobab trees. The park is a wildlife haven during the dry season, as animals gather around the Tarangire River. Visitors can spot zebras, wildebeests, and predators like lions and leopards. Tarangire also offers a unique cultural experience with nearby Maasai villages and walking safaris to explore its rugged beauty up close.

When to visit

Tarangire is at its best from June to October. As the surrounding land dries out, animals converge on the permanent water of the Tarangire River, and the park holds some of the highest concentrations of elephant anywhere in Tanzania. During the November-to-May green season the herds disperse across a much wider area, wildlife is harder to find, but birdlife is exceptional and the landscape is lush.

Getting there

The main gate is about a two-hour drive from Arusha on a good tarmac road, which makes Tarangire the usual first stop on a Northern Circuit safari before continuing to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. There is also an airstrip for fly-in visitors.

What you'll see

Alongside the elephants, expect zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, buffalo, impala and eland, with lion and leopard hunting along the river and the Silale swamp. Tarangire is a birding stronghold, with well over 500 recorded species, and its ancient baobabs and rolling, grassy hills give it a distinct character from the open plains further north.

Good to know

• One or two days is usually enough, often as a half-day drive plus an overnight.
• Walking safaris and night drives are offered in some of the private areas bordering the park.
• The dry season is strongly recommended — wet-season game viewing here is unpredictable.
• Maasai and Barabaig village visits can be arranged nearby.