Tarangire National Park

The Kingdom of Elephants and Giants of Africa. Home to some of the largest concentrations of elephants on the continent, ancient baobab trees, and over 550 bird species. Experience the wild beauty of Tanzania's 6th largest national park.

Northern Tanzania, South of Lake Manyara

Tarangire National Park received its name from the Tarangire River that flows through the northern portion of the park. The river becomes the primary source of water for the animals residing in the park during the dry season.

Tarangire National Park covers an area of 2,850 square kilometers. It lies between the meadows of the Masai Steppe in the southeast and rift valley lakes in the north and west. Tarangire's landscape is made of granite ridges, river valleys, and swamps. Its vegetation is a mix of woodlands, seasonally flooded grassland, and baobab trees.

Labelled as one of the seasonal parks in northern Tanzania, Tarangire National Park sees a lot of migratory movement within its vast and varied ecosystem. The unique climatic conditions allow you to enjoy the incredible scenery while seeing resting lions, sneaking leopards, and graceful antelopes.

Tarangire National Park is located in the northern section of Tanzania, just south of Lake Manyara. The park lies among the meadows of the Masai Steppe (to the southeast) and the Great Rift Valley Lakes (to the west and north). In the northern region of the park is its lifeline – the permanently flowing Tarangire River. The river flows northwards until the exit, in the northwestern corner and pours into Lake Burunge.

The 2850 sq. km. plains of the park's landscapes are dominated by Commiphora bushlands, open grasslands, and acacia woodlands. This is a key habitat for several different savannah mammal species.

The surroundings of Tarangire National Park vary greatly as one moves about the large area. From grasslands dotted with giant baobab trees to rugged channels, rocky hills, bushlands, and riverine woodlands.

Kigelia or sausage trees are also an important habitat of the park. These trees have thick canopies and large sausage-shaped hanging fruits. They are a favourite resting place for lions and leopards in the park.

Tarangire National Park is part of the renowned Northern Safari Circuit of Tanzania and most safaris here start from the town of Arusha. The park is just a couple of hours away from Arusha.

This is the best way to get to Tarangire National Park.

From the town of Arusha, it takes around three hours to drive to Tarangire National Park.

This route is popular among visitors because of the great sceneries along the way plus access to other Tanzania Safari destinations like the Serengeti and Lake Manyara National Park.

The Weather In Tarangire National Park is temperate and pleasant. The wet seasons have two spells of showers – the short rains (in November and December) and the long rains (from March to May).

The wettest month in Tarangire National Park is April and the driest months are July and August. Rainfall in Tarangire happens for 113 days and collects up to 714mm of precipitation.