Tarangire is shaped by one thing: a river that never dries. As the surrounding Maasai steppe hardens through the dry months, everything that walks converges on the Tarangire River, and a park most travellers treat as a half-day stop becomes, for a few months of the year, the densest concentration of elephant in northern Tanzania.
Above it all stand the baobabs — some of them over a thousand years old.
MID-LUXURY
Four Days: Tarangire, the Crater & Manyara
Per guest, from:
$1,630
$543 per night
DRY SEASON
Tarangire: Elephants & Baobabs
Per guest, from:
$2,860
$715 per night
SHARED VEHICLE
Joining Safari: the Northern Circuit
Per guest, from:
$3,780
$630 per night
THE CLASSIC ROUTE
The Northern Circuit, Properly Paced
Per guest, from:
$4,680
$669 per night
AGES 6+
Family Safari, Northern Circuit
Per guest, from:
$4,940
$618 per night
MOST REQUESTED
Bush & Beach: Serengeti to Zanzibar
Per guest, from:
$5,440
$544 per night
CLIMB THEN REST
Kilimanjaro & Safari
Per guest, from:
$5,740
$522 per night
The defining season. Herds of several hundred elephant gather along the river, and the southern swamps hold buffalo, lion and some of the best game viewing on the whole northern circuit.
Migrant birds arrive and the park greens up quickly. Game begins to disperse outside the boundary, but the birding becomes exceptional and vehicle numbers fall away.
Lush, photogenic and almost empty. Much of the wildlife has moved out to the Maasai steppe, so game viewing is quieter — but the landscapes and the baobabs have never looked better.
Iconic Tarangire Wildlife
Tarangire holds the largest elephant population in northern Tanzania, with dry-season herds that regularly run to several hundred animals. It is also one of the few parks in the country where fringe-eared oryx, lesser kudu and the long-necked gerenuk occur, and its 550-plus recorded bird species make it the richest birding park in Tanzania.
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From simple park campsites to private concessions where walking and night drives are permitted.
From June the river becomes the whole story. Full-day drives into the southern swamps reach the biggest herds and the resident lion prides, well beyond the reach of the half-day visitors.
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Tarangire is one of the few Tanzanian parks where TANAPA permits after-dark drives, for roughly USD 59 per person on top of park fees — genet, civet, porcupine and hunting lion are the reward. Walking is not permitted inside the park, but the bordering concessions offer it.
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A dawn flight drifting low over the river and the baobab country, landing to a champagne breakfast in the bush. A quieter, more intimate alternative to the Serengeti balloon.
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The things our guests ask most before they travel. Still unsure? Speak to a safari specialist — we reply within 24 hours.
Elephants and baobabs. Tarangire holds the largest elephant population in northern Tanzania — herds of several hundred are regularly seen in the dry season — set among some of the oldest and largest baobab trees in East Africa. The landscape is quite unlike the open plains of the Serengeti.
June to October is by far the best. As surrounding areas dry out, animals converge on the permanent Tarangire River, producing game concentrations that rival the Serengeti. From November to May much of the wildlife disperses outside the park, and game viewing is noticeably quieter.
Most itineraries allow one full day or a single night. Two nights is better in the dry season, when the park rewards a full day exploring the southern swamps where the biggest herds gather and where most day visitors never reach.
Tarangire is usually one component of a northern circuit itinerary. On a joining safari expect from around USD 220 per person per day; private luxury lodging in and around the park runs USD 1,100-1,450 per person per day. Park entry fees are included in all our itineraries.
Roughly 120km, about a two-hour drive on good tarmac. This makes it the usual first stop on the northern circuit, often visited on the same day you leave Arusha. There is also an airstrip for fly-in guests connecting to the Serengeti.
Not within the national park itself, but the private concessions bordering it — particularly to the north and east — offer excellent guided walking, night drives and fly-camping. Staying on a concession rather than inside the park is the way to access these activities.
Elephant in large numbers, plus buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala and eland. Lion are common and tree-climbing behaviour is occasionally seen. Tarangire is also one of the few places in Tanzania for fringe-eared oryx, lesser kudu and the long-necked gerenuk.
Exceptionally. Over 550 species have been recorded, one of the highest counts of any Tanzanian park. The swamps in the south are the main draw, and the park is the most reliable place in the country to see yellow-collared lovebird and ashy starling, both near-endemics.
Tarangire opens almost every northern circuit itinerary, typically followed by Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti over 6-8 days. Many guests finish with a beach extension to Zanzibar or Pemba.
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