Tarangire National Park

Habitat

The park's dominant feature is the Tarangire River. Although it gets very dry, the park is relatively thickly vegetated with acacia shrubs and mixed woodland. Most memorable are the huge baobab trees dotted around in big numbers. The south and east of the park have a big seasonal swamp network, which is an important water catchment area.

Wildlife

Herds of up to 300 elephants can be found, looking for underground streams in the dry riverbeds, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest, and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. Abandoned termite mounds often house mongoose colonies. All the main predators are present, but because of thick vegetation, not spotted as often as in some of the other parks in northern Tanzania.

Best time to visit

In the wetter months (November to May) tourists are fewer and the local wildlife is more dispersed, with water easily found around the park. The animals are much easier to find during the Dry season (June to October), as they head to the area's remaining water sources. Pack plenty of warm clothes for early-morning game drives at this time of year, as it's cold when the sun is low in the sky.