Safari tours to Tarangire National Park in Tanzania – Budget and luxury Tanzania safaris to Tarangire National park
Safari tours to tarangire national park – The Tarangire National Park is located between the meadows of Masai Steppe to the south east and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley to the north and west. Among the rolling area where the park lies, it occupies an area of 2,600 square kilometers. The perennial Tarangire River takes over the northern part of Tarangire. Through the cut ditches, the River flows upwards up to when it leaves the corner of the park, in the North West flowing into Lake Burungi. There are a number of wide swamps which dry into green plains during the dry season in the south.
You are recommended to stay for a few days in the south of the park that is also less crowded and gives you the opportunity to get a real feel of the back country while on your visit to the Tarangire.
The Tarangire River is a permanent feature that even shares a name with the Tarangire Park. There are a number of large swamps .These are usually dry for most of the year .The Tarangire 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.
The wild animals in this park differ depending on the season. It is also linked to the fact that Tarangire is just a part of the bigger ecosystem. Many of the animals leave the park during the 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 Masai Steppe. The game goes back to the Tarangire swamps during the dry season around the months of June to October most especially, the river system. This is noted as the best season hence enjoy the best of animal viewing during your Tanzania tour visit to Tarangire around this time. You will obviously see big numbers of elephants gather here as well as the wildebeests and zebras.
The impalas also exist in large numbers as well, eland, buffalo and giraffes.Bohor reedbuck, Thompson’s gazelle, greater and lesser kudu and the Coke’s hartebeest. On really some rare occasions, the common usual gerenuk and fringe –eared Oryx are also seen. A few black rhinos are also thought to be still present in this park.
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 500 species that have been identified here. The lovebirds that are yellow collared, the shy starlings are in plenty and widespread in Tanzania.
Mainly, the dry open woods like e acacia thickets, as well as many of its significant baobab trees make up the vegetation of the Tarangire. The stunning acacia tortillis trees not forgetting the occasional palm tree. There are also huge flat swamps within the woodlands in the south that get very impassable during the rains. During the rest of the year; they will also uniformly dry in green.
Best time for safari tours to Tarangire National Park
The middle and the end of the dry season that runs from late June to October is the best time to view wild life in Tarangire National Park. Most of the animals move out of the park during the wet season and viewing animals is remarkably less good.
In June to October, the animals gather around the Tarangire River and this is the best time to go to Tarangire Park. There is little rainfall during June to October hence making it the time with the best weather
June to October still marks the high season with so many tourists filling the park. While the low season comes in April to May. The peak of the wet season sets in during March and April, hence the worst weather then.
The Dry season: June to October
From the surrounding areas, the animals migrate into the park during this time. The vegetation thins out and the animals gather around water points like rivers and water holes thus making wildlife easier to view. The weather is very beautiful and sunny around this time.
The mosquitoes are less hence the risk of contracting malaria is also much lower. It is important to note that, there are a great number of animals at the beginning or end of the dry season and this differs greatly. If it happens and the wet season stops late, it is possible that most of the animals have not moved to the park by June. And if it happens that the short rains come early, then it could be that the animals start to leave by October.
It is very essential to have warm clothes starting with June to August since the morning drives are very cold.
Days are calm with clear skies and should the short rains start early, then they begin in October. At night, the temperatures drop and it cools down.
The wet Season: November to May
This season goes on from the month of November till May each year. During this time, the vegetation is stunning and adequate. The rates and prices may be much lower since this is the low season. The wet season is also prime time for bird watching since the migratory birds are present then.
March to May mark the peak of the wet season and it is considerably less good to view the wildlife as compared to during the dry season since most animals move out of the park.
The wet season consist of long rains for March to May and short rains during November and December. The rains normally fall in the afternoons and hardly for the whole day.
The temperatures do not change much over the year and it does not usually get too hot although the evenings and mornings tend to get too cold.
The Tarangire weather is temperate and enjoyable. Showers usually come about in the afternoon. After the short rains, a dry spell will occur and its beginning is difficult to predict.
Tarangire is known as a classic dry reserve. When it rains, the animals move up into the Masai steppe yet in the dry season, the animals gather around the Tarangire River.
How to get to Tarangire National Park
By road
Most people identify a safari to Tarangire as a loner Safari. 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.
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).
If you want to get a relatively cheap flight, you can also opt to fly in Nairobi Kenya and then move on to continue with one of the buses between Arusha and Nairobi. You are able to get to Arusha by 4 pm if you use a morning pick up. Your tour operator will pick you up from the airport in most cases and also take care of any other transportation from there.
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. Going on is quite easy to drive to Lake Manyara, or the Ngorongoro Conservation area.
Tarangire is one of the parks located in Northern Tanzania known as a more seasonal park. Within the Greater Tarangire ecosystem, there is a lot of migratory movement.
There are large herds of animals that are pulled towards the Tarangire River during the dry season between June and October. The elephant numbers are also amazing at this time.
Tarangire is almost the least visited park among those Tanzanian parks in the North but it holds the real air of unveiled Africa specifically in the south of the park. Covering an area of 2,600 square kilometers, Tarangire lies in s small distance, south east of Lake Manyara. It has a hilly landscape that is dotted by a number of Baobab tress, thick bushes and long grass.
Attractions to see of safari tours to Tarangire National park
From Arusha, Tarangire is located at a distance of about 120 kilometers which is in the south east of Manyara. Being one of the most seasonal parks in northern Tanzania, Tarangire has a lot of migratory movement with greater Tarangire ecosystem.
Between June and October which is the dry season, there are unimaginable herds of animals that are attracted to the Tarangire River. The elephant numbers at this time are amazing. Endeavour to make this park part of your safari in northern Tanzania. The dry months of June to October bring about large gatherings of elephants. After the game migrates from the Masaai Mara, it gathers around the river.
Tarangire National park takes on the sixth largest position among Tanzania’s National parks, after Ruaha, Serengeti Mikumi, Katavi and Mkomazi.From the Tarangire River, is where the name of the park comes, that crosses through the eye catching park.
The big numbers of elephants, baobab trees (these grow in the open acacia) on top of tree climbing African pythons which give wonderful sightings to see make Tarangire a popular safari destination.
Wildlife in Tarangire
2850 square kilometers is the surface area that this park covers. This park gives you many chances as it is habitat to plenty of wildlife like zebras, searching for underground streams in the dry river beds, flocks of up to about 300 elephants can be found. The shrinking lagoons are gathered around by migratory wildebeest, eland, gazelle, impala, zebras, kudu, rhino, hartebeest buffalo and other smaller mammals. Also regularly spotted are the dry country antelope like the long necked gerenuk and fringe eared Oryx.
Mongoose colonies are often hosted by abandoned drifts (anthills).The thick vegetation usually hides the main predators that are always there but cannot easily be seen just like any other parks in northern Tanzania.
Birding in Tarangire
Enjoy spotting a large batch of colorful and exclusive bird species. Over 550 different bird species are housed with the swamps that are spread all over Tarangire. For bird lovers, who find themselves taken up for a long period of time, this makes Tarangire a famous safari destination for you.
Sightseeing Trips
As a dominant feature within this park, the Tarangire River stands out. Even when it is very dry, the park has thick vegetation with acacia shrubs and mixed woodland. The huge baobab trees that are scattered around in huge numbers make your safari trip a memorable one.
There are a number of chances to explore the region on walk safaris even if the park is hidden and relatively unknown. Walking safaris give you a more learning experience about the smaller animals within the bush land and a better way of spotting the animals at close range without disturbing them.
Experience a better different world by taking a trip to a Masaai or Barabaig village with numerous ancient paintings, in neighborhood with Kolo on Dodoma road.
Taking into consideration of what you are looking for in terms of wildlife and birdwatching, you can ravel to Tarangire National park for your safari to Tanzania. The dry season offers you the best time to watch lots of animals which comes between June and September being the best time to go on a safari. Contact Great Adventure Safaris to book safari tours to tarangire national park in Tanzania
