Tarangire Safari Holiday Guide – Giant Baobabs and Tarangire River Wildlife
Scenic Tarangire National Park lies some 120 km south of Arusha, along the ‘Great North Road’ highway, and is very popular for day trips from the town (though a couple of nights is really needed to do it justice). Tarangire offers a wide variety of wildlife in its area of 2,600 sq. km, but is renowned for its huge herds of elephants.
As in all ecosystems, the vegetation and the types of animals you find are closely correlated. The principal features of the park are the flood plains and the grassland, mainly comprising of various types of acacia trees, and a few scattered baobabs, tamarind and sausage trees. The Tarangire River, after which the park is named, provides the only permanent water for wildlife in the area.
When the Masai Steppes dry up with the end of the long rains in June, migratory animals return to the Tarangire River, making Tarangire National Park second only to Ngorongoro in the concentration of wildlife. This period stretches between June and November and it is the best season for game viewing in Tarangire, though the park can be visited year round.