How to get to Tarangire National Park
There are two major ways you can access Tarangire National Park and that is either by road or air transport.
By air
Flying into Kilimanjaro International AirPort (KIA) is the best option to get to Tarangire. This is located, 46 kilometers (29 Miles) from Arusha. Another possibility is to fly into Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) which is near Dar es Salaam and then arranging for a domestic flight at Arusha Airport (ARK).
Charter flights
You can also use charter flights from Arusha then to Serengeti and then finally to Tarangire. From Arusha to the entrance gate, be assured of a comfortable drive that will take you only 2hours, with which only 7kms of them are on a non tarred road. From Tarangire it is quite easy to drive to the neighboring the Ngorongoro Conservation area or Lake Manyara National Park.
By Road
The distance from Arusha to Tarangire National Park is approximately 140 km and takes about three hours drive to access the park. Unfortunately many people identify a safari to Tarangire as a loner Safari, however visiting this park in the dry season will offer you remarkable wildlife views especially if you explore the southern part of the park. Tarangire ranks as part of the famous northern safari circuit and is definitely visited alongside with Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater. Arusha town is a starting point to many for most of the safaris to this circuit.
3 ways to go to Tarangire Crater
X - N/A
30 Ms
2HR
1.5H
Difference between fly and go by a car is 76 km.
Tarangire National Park FAQ's
We’d recommend that June to October is the best time to visit Tarangire National Park. The region experiences its dry season during this month, which creates the ideal conditions for optimal game viewing.
The Tarangire National Park is known as a wonderful birding destination and also features large numbers of game, particularly during the dry season, when the Tarangire River is the only source of water in the area. The landscape is of particular interest too, due to the high number of scenic baobab trees.
Animals of Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park has the second highest concentration of wildlife in Tanzania after Serengeti National Park.
Some of the animals you can look for on safari in Tarangire are:
- bush elephants
- lions
- hippos
- leopards
- cheetahs (rarely seen)
- African buffaloes
- hyenas (rarely seen)
- zebras
- giraffes
- African wild dogs (also called painted dogs)
- bat-eared foxes
- warthogs
- jackals
Best time to visit Tarangire National Park
The best time of year to visit Tarangire National Park is during the long dry season, which is June to October. In the dry season, thousands of zebras and wildebeests migrate to the park. They’re drawn by the waters of Tarangire River, which flows through the middle of the park.
Tarangire National Park is located in northeast Tanzania, not far from the city of Arusha.
Tarangire is one of several world-class conservation areas and national parks that make northern Tanzania a safari hotspot. Just a stone’s throw to the northwest of Tarangire is Lake Manyara National Park, for instance, known for its flamingo-choked eponymous lake. Head a little further in the same direction and you stumble across the incomparable Ngorongoro Crater. Continue even further in that direction and you have the famous Serengeti National Park, the primary location of the Great Wildlife Migration. Need we say more?
How big is the park?
Tarangire National Park is about 2,850 km². That’s almost the size of Rhode Island. It was established in 1970 and is the sixth largest park in Tanzania.
| Distance: 134.5 KM | Time: 1.5 H |
Tarangire National Park
Ranking as the 6th largest National Park in Tanzania and covering an area of 2,600 square kilometers, The Tarangire National Park is most popular for its large elephant herds and mini-wildlife migration that takes place during the dry season which sees about 250,000 animals enter the park.
Serengeti Trips Tanzania
Find all the transport options for your trip from Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater right here. We displays up to date schedules, route maps, journey times and estimated fares from relevant transport operators, ensuring you can make an informed decision about which option will suit you best.
Lodges and Tented Camps in Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park
Slightly off the popular northern Tanzania Safari Circuit, the park lies between the meadows of Masai Steppe to the south east and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley to the north and west. Within the northern part of Tarangire is the permanent River Tarangire also known as the life-line of the park particularly in the dry season when most of the region is totally dry. This flows northwards until it exits the park in the northwestern corner to pour into Lake Burungi. There are a number of wide swamps which dry into green plains during the dry season in the south.
During you Safari in Tarangire, You are highly recommended to stay for a couple of days especially in the south of the park which offers a less crowded safari experience and gives you the opportunity to enjoy an authentic African feel of the Tanzania’s countryside.
The permanent Tarangire River is the most dominant feature here and it’s after this river that the park was named. there are a number of large swamps that feed off some of its tributaries however, these are usually dry for most of the year but get very impassable during the rains .
The Tarangire park is usually very dry, in fact drier than the Serengeti, however its vegetation is much more green especially with lots of elephant grass, vast areas with mixed acacia woodlands and some of the wonderful ribbons of the aquatic forest not to forget the giant baobab tree that can live up to 600 years storing between 300 and 900 liters of water
Every year during the dry season from June to November Tarangire hosts a wildlife migration which is not as dramatic as the Wildebeest Migration in the Serengeti, but receives a somewhat large number of animals.
As most of this part of the country is dry, the Tarangire River remains the only source of water and consequently attracts large numbers of wildebeests, elephants, gazelles, zebras and hartebeest, buffaloes plus various predators like lions that come to drink and graze around the river banks. during the rain months of November to May,
The zebras as well as large herds of wildebeests move into the north-western direction towards the Rift Valley floor amongst the large numbers of animals that spread across the large open areas of the Masaai Steppe and dispersing all the way to Lake Manyara.
Tarangire and you will be able to encounter various animals. This park is home to one of the largeset elephant populations in Africa with several herds of up to 300 members per herd. In addition, there are large numbers of impalas, elands, buffaloes, giraffes, Bohor reedbuck, Coke’s hartebeest, Thompson’s gazelle, the greater and lesser kudu and on rare occasions, the unusual gerenuk and fringe –eared Oryx are also seen.
A few black rhinos are also thought to be still present in this park. You will obviously see big numbers of elephants gather here as well as the wildebeests and zebras. Among the other common animals in the Tarangire are the leopards, lions, hyenas, and cheetah that seem to be popular within the southern open areas. The wild dogs are only seen once in a while
The birds within the Tarangire are also quite many, there are over 545 species that have been identified here. The stunning yellow collared lovebirds and the shy starlings are in plenty here in addition to other species.
Ruaha National Park is extraor
Game Drives and walking tours
: The primary safari activity in this park is game driving however if you live outside the park boundaries you might be able to enjoy walking tours. and night safaris. Currently Oliver’s Camp organizes walking tours as well as fly camping safaris.
Night Game Drives
: one would wonder, are night game drives allowed in Tarangire? Well Night Game Drives are allowed in the park however, not all accommodations offer these tours. Only those that have properly established all the requirements and regulations offered by TANAPA such as Swala and Oliver’s camp are allowed to conduct these walks.
Tarangire Balloon Safaris
: Join a hot air balloon ride over the Tarangire as you soar over the treetops of the Tarangire to enjoy an exceptional perspective of wildlife like lions and ungulates right below you
Birding in Tarangire National Park
dinary with a wide range of Tourist Activities offered in the National Park, tourists who are interested in visiting this Tanzania’s largest national park can undertake Tourist activities in Ruaha National Park which include;
Game Drives
Game drives here are the main and quintessential adventure things to do in Ruaha National Park that most tourists undertake as they enjoy the amazing wilderness with its rich diversity of wildlife, beautiful sceneries from fascinating landscapes, the great Ruaha River and various bird species while seated comfortably in a safari vehicle. On your game drive you can enjoy the fantastic Predators – Lions on the shores of the river, Cheetah on the open plains and Leopard although as elusive as ever, in quite substantial numbers accompanied by other majestic wildlife.
Walking Safari
Get up close with nature and soak yourself into the real wonders of the park while on a walking safari through the virgin bushes stretching up your legs too, encounter with the tiny animals in the park that can’t be spotted in a safari vehicle and get to appreciate all the intricate details of this wilderness while being accompanied by your park ranger/guide.
Bird Watching
Among the great ideal Tourist Activities in Ruaha National Park is Bird watching, for avid bird watchers, just with a great pair of your Binoculars, birding pack, your brimmed hat, comfy footwear, and all that you need to spot your great birds of interest, participate in bird watching safari here and enjoy the fantastic abundance of over 575 recorded bird species that inhabit Ruaha.
Night Game Drives
The majority of the Big Cats are nocturnal Predators, which means that during the daytime game drives, they are likely to be seen lounging about in the shade however, a night Game drive is an excellent opportunity to explore the night whispers of the park with an armed park ranger and enjoy watching these nocturnal creatures at their peak as they make moves on their unaware sleeping prey. They are always active and on the prowl that will make your safari one of it’s kind.
Cultural Tour
Nothing will put you in the heart of a unique African Adventure quite like including a cultural safari to the neighboring local communities around the park additional to your Game adventure safari thus these cultural tours are other Tourist Activities in Ruaha National Park, get to interact with the amazing local people namely the Masai people and have an insight into their unique and yet interesting cultures, traditional beliefs and lifestyle which will leave you with wondrous moments
The overall cost of a Tarangire Safari is determined by the type of accommodation you will be staying and the activities you are going to engage in.
Staying at the super luxury facilities like Chem Chem Lodge for $1,250 per person or Little Chem Chem for $1,200 per night or the Kuro Camp for $857 per night will certainly shot up your safari cost.
While mid-range facilities like Tarangire River Camp and the Maramboi tent that charges will offer you a lower safari cost. For budget travelers Lake Burunge Tented Camp will be a good option.
