Tarangire national park is one of the top bucket list options on your visit to the northern circuit, despite it being shadowed by the Serengeti National Park which has made to be consistently been regarded as underrated, it is a real gem of the African wilderness, it is famous for its large herds of African elephants roaming through the many growing baobab trees, sausage trees and acacia woodland. The National park is drained by the river Tarangire, which is one Permanent River after which the park is named, animals gather around it more so during the dry season to drink water and take on fresh grasses.
Tarangire National Park is abundant with wildlife example species include, kudus, waterbucks, cape buffaloes, elands, wildebeests, hartebeests, oribi, lions, leopards, jackals, giraffes, side striped hyenas, jackals, among other species and over 500 bird types have been recorded in the biodiverse ecosystem, to compliment of the wildlife of the park, the local Masaai people are so significant to meet, they are a unique cultural race and original inhabitants of northern Tanzania, they will show you their way of life through their dances and songs, guests are free to participate in the activity.
Driving to Tarangire national park begins from any point of choice by the traveller, beginning from Arusha it takes approximately 3 hours drive, depending on whether you are using public means, a tour operator or self-drive when using a safari company you will be picked using 4×4 wheel car safari land cruiser to the destination, the private drive comes alongside a trained safari guide who will help throughout your journey. While self-drives will require hiring a game ranger from the gate which is recommended by the park warden.
It is possible to drive from Lake Manyara home to tree-climbing lions to the Tarangire national park it takes approximately 110 kilometres and about 3 hours to drive from the Ngorongoro conservation area, it is more advisable to drive through protected areas for you to have a blast of a journey.
The other option for getting to Tarangire National Park is by Flying to the destination there are daily flights to the nearest airstrip after which you will be transferred by road to where you have been booked for your stay overnight, accommodation ranges from the best budget to luxury these offer the best places to stay while on your great Tanzania safari. Things to do while in Tarangire National Park include game drives which are conducted in sessions, in the morning, afternoon and evening times, Tarangire National Park is one of the few places where doing night game drives is allowed in search of nocturnal species, birding, visiting the local Masai people and guided nature walks.
In conclusion, driving to Tarangire National Park is best done during the dry season between the months of December –February and June –September, it is a high tourism season with visitors coming to take on the whole of northern Tanzania hence expect to see more travellers, trips to the National park can be perfectly blended with those of other national parks along the northern circuit.