What is special about Tarangire National Park? In addition to being a great place for birdwatching, the Tarangire National Park is also home to a lot of wildlife, especially during the dry season when the Tarangire River serves as the only supply of water for the region. Due to the abundance of beautiful baobab trees in the landscape, it is also particularly interesting. Tanzania safari tours conduct visits to Tanzania’s Manyara Region home to Tarangire National Park. The Tarangire River, which runs through the park, is the source of its name. During the yearly dry season, the Tarangire River serves as the main supply of fresh water for wildlife in the Tarangire Ecosystem. Similar to Serengeti National Park wildebeest and zebras’ extensive long-distance migration is what gives the Tarangire Ecosystem its name. Thousands of animals from the nearby wet-season dispersal and calving zones congregate in Tarangire National Park during the dry season.
Tanzania National Parks Authority is the governing body of Tarangire National Park which is about 2,850 square kilometres (1,100 square miles) make up its surface. Granitic ridges, river valleys, and wetlands make to the topography. Acacia forest, Combretum woodland, periodically flooded grassland, and baobab trees make up the vegetation.
Wildlife composition
Elephants are abundant in the park, which is also known for its baobab trees the two are what gives Tarangire National park its unique identity during Tanzania safari tours. During the dry months of June to November, visitors to the park can anticipate seeing vast herds of zebra, wildebeest, and cape buffalo. Waterbuck, giraffe, dik dik, impala, eland, Grant’s gazelle, vervet monkey, banded mongoose, and olive baboon are among other common residents. African wild dogs, lions, leopards, cheetahs, caracals, honey badgers, and other predators can be found in Tarangire. It is also home to the Big Five most sought after animals during safari tours.
Tarangire National park is known to be home to the oldest elephant to ever give birth to twins. An excellent illustration of how the birth of these two healthy and thriving twins might defy the odds is the recent birth of elephant twins in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park.
The park is synonymous with Birdwatching safaris and it is a sanctuary for bird lovers with more than 550 different species of birds living there. The termite mounds that dot the terrain are another reason why people love the park landscapes. Dwarf mongoose frequently live in abandoned structures. A giraffe with leucism, which is white, was observed in the park in 2015. African bush elephants and Masai giraffes are the main subjects of wildlife studies. Since 2005, the reserve has been referred to as a Lion Conservation Unit.
Tarangire migration
Tarangire National park features a large amount of migratory movement within the larger Tarangire ecosystem due to it being one of the most seasonal parks in northern Tanzania. Tarangire is situated in the south-east of Manyara National Park, around 120 km from Arusha.
The majority of the Tarangire Region is completely dry between June and October, with only a few remaining water sources. This is known as the dry season. The Tarangire River’s waters attract countless enormous herds of various species, which move into the park. Elephants, hartebeests, wildebeests, gazelles, zebras, as well as various predators like lions and leopards, as well as a significant number of other animals, enter the park during this vast migration of wildlife, albeit it is not as large as the more famous Annual Wildebeest Migration. Make an effort to include this park in your safari in northern Tanzania because the vistas of the wildlife are so rewarding despite the thin and arid vegetation.
Elephants population
The Tarangire National Park’s massive elephant population which is actually thought to be the biggest in all of Tanzania is one of the main attractions for safari tours in Tanzania that has helped it gain international recognition. You will watch multiple enormous elephant herds of roughly 300 animals per herd digging the parched riverbed of the Tarangire River in quest of underground sources of water to quench their thirst as the dry season from June to October advances and the landscape becomes more drier.
However, due to the abundance of elephants living here, it is still simple to detect these land giants even during the wet season. On the other side, the coming of the rains brings lots of pastures and water, causing the animals to spread out around the park. The dry months of June to October are when elephant herds swarm in enormous numbers. After leaving the Masaai Mara, the wildlife congregates near the river.
Baobab trees
The baobab tree one of the main attractions for most Tanzania safaris is popularly known as the Tree of Life, is another unusual sight that is frequently observed in Tarangire National Park. It is ‘gigantic’ in size and has a trunk that can hold 300 and 1000 litres of water, respectively. They can live for up to 600 years and have a long lifespan. The edible seed of this tree serves as a substantial source of food for a variety of animals. On the bark of these trees, however, elephants sharpen their enormous tusks.
Local legends claim that these trees could easily migrate across the African continent, but God became irritated by their aimless movement and decided to install them upside down in order to prevent them from ever moving again.
The swamp
The park is made up of a vast network of marshes, mostly in Tarangire’s southern and eastern regions. Numerous birds and animals, including tree-climbing pythons, silale-swamp lions, African wild dogs, cape buffaloes, and even elephants, can be found in these swamps. The Donaldson-Smith’s nightjar, the Vulturine Guinea fowl, Some of the bird species that can be seen in this area include the Yellow-collared Lovebird, Great White Pelican, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit, Rufous-tailed Weaver, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Northern Pied Babbler, Von der Decken’s Hornbill, Northern White-crowned Shrike, Pink-breasted Lark, Ostrich, and Slate-coloured Boubou.
Tarangire National park location
Tarangire is situated in the south-east of Manyara National Park, around 120 km from Arusha. Tarangire National park features a large amount of migratory movement within the wider Tarangire ecosystem and is one of the most seasonal parks in northern Tanzania.
The Tarangire River attracts unfathomable herds of animals between June and October, which is the dry season. At this moment, there are an astounding amount of elephants. Make an effort to include this park in your northern Tanzanian trip. The dry months of June to October are when elephant herds swarm in enormous numbers. After leaving the Masaai Mara, the wildlife congregates near the river.
