Safari in Tarangire

the kingdome of elephants

Information about Safari at Tarangire National Park

Tarangire means "the river of the warthogs", this name was given by the Mbugwe tribe who used to fetch water from the river in the park. Tarangire with its 2,800km2 is relatively small compared to the Serengeti, another very well known park in the country. This makes for a pleasant safari with few roads and abundant wildlife. The characteristic landscapes of the park are swampy which allows in dry season to find the animals around the water points.

You can observe in this park all the characteristic animals of the African savannah but the stars of this park are the elephants with more than 5 200 recorded. On the flora side, one can admire many baobabs of all sizes.

Interesting facts about Safari at Tarangire National Park

Tarangire is famous for hosting one of the highest concentrations of elephants in Tanzania, and indeed the world. It is incredibly common to see massive families of up to 300 elephants congregating together, especially along the dry bed of the Tarangire River.

The park’s landscape is famous for its stunning, ancient Baobab trees (often called the "Tree of Life"). These massive trees can live for several thousand years. Because they can store thousands of liters of water in their trunks, elephants frequently use their tusks to strip the bark to get to the moist wood inside during dry spells, which creates a very distinctive rugged appearance on many of the park's baobabs.

During the dry season, the Tarangire River becomes the only permanent water source in the entire region. This triggers a mini-migration of its own: thousands of animals—including wildebeest, zebras, elands, hartebeests, and buffaloes—converge on the river valley.