Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park has a healthy population of creatures both big and small. The park has plenty of resident animals although some tend to migrate depending on the time of year. The most commonly seen animals are elephants, giraffes, impalas, warthogs, zebras, wildebeests, dwarf mongoose and ostriches. Lions can however also be seen, as well as leopards and on some rare occasions even wild dogs have been spotted. Furthermore, the park is home to 550 species of birds and the greater and lesser Kudus as well as oryx also roam the park. Tarangire National Park is in northern Tanzania, just south of Lake Manyara. This is a protected area of colossal baobabs, grassy plains and huge herds of elephants. The park is one of the most underrated of Tanzania’s attractions, receiving just a fraction of the Serengeti’s visitors, which means more space and exclusivity for those who do make it to Tarangire. The area actually experiences its own migration–although smaller in scale than the one further north. Elephants are virtually guaranteed here, and vast herds of Cape buffalo, as well as Grant’s and Thompson’s gazelle, Burchell’s zebra, giraffe and warthog all are hunted by lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, jackal and even African wild dog. Tarangire is a generally considered a seasonal reserve and the long dry season (June – October) is the best time to visit. During the short rains of November and the long rains of April-May the game mostly disperses into the Maasai Steppe; however, as the landscape dries the wildlife returns, drawn back by the Tarangire River.