Tarangire

Tarangire National Park covers a smooth flowing area of 2,500 plus square kilometers, between the plains of the Maasai Steppe to the south-east, and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley to the north and west. The northern part of Tarangire is dominated by the Tarangire River, which flows through ravines until it leaves the north-western corner of the park to flow into Lake Burungi. In the south are a series of vast ‘swamps’ which dry into verdant plains during the dry season.

Tarangire’s game varies with the seasons. From November to May, much of the game leaves the park; herds of wildebeest and zebra head north-west onto the floor of the Rift Valley, whilst many animals disperse across the vast open areas of the Maasai Steppe. From around June to October, it’s dry and the game returns to Tarangire’s swamps, and especially, its river system. This is the best season for a game-viewing safari in Tarangire.

Particularly large numbers of elephant herds congregate here, as do many wildebeest and zebra. There are also substantial populations of impala, giraffe, eland and buffalo. Thompson’s gazelle, hartebeest, reedbuck and both greater and lesser kudu are found here. The localized and unusual gerenuk and fringe-eared oryx also occur here, they are seen exceedingly rarely. There are still a few black rhino in the park.

With the large number of prey, lion are common throughout Tarangire, as are leopard. Spotted hyena are always around, but wild dog sightings are rare.