Tarangire National Park is a large reserve centred on the Tarangire River which provides permanent water throughout the year. Much wildlife in this northern region heads to Tarangire in the dry season to the waters of the Tarangire River, making it one of the best places to be from about July to early November.
There are nine vegetation zones ranging from acacia parkland and riverine grassland to deep gully vegetation and rocky hilltops. Between them they support large numbers of wildlife including large herds of zebra, impala, wildebeest as well as buffalo, giraffe, warthog, eland, big cats (especially cheetah) and many birds (over 300 species). However it is the number of elephants which will generally make the deepest impression on you. In the dry season, huge herds are often seen along the Tarangire River.
The vegetation is predominantly denser here than in the Serengeti, giving it a very wild feeling. It would be fair to say that the landscape does not have the impact or beauty of the Serengeti (though it does have some great baobab trees!), and yet Tarangire is a park which grows on you the more you get to know it.
Tarangire is home to around the same number of mammal species as the Serengeti with a large range of predators but the thick vegetation makes it more of a challenge to see them! Two special antelope that can be found here are the Gerenuk and Fringe-eared Oryx. For birders, over 500 species can be found in the park including large numbers of raptors and wading birds.
Surrounding the park are several concession areas made up of four tracts of land next to each other which were handed back to Masai ownership in the 1990s. This area now acts as a buffer zone between the park and outlying villages and raises revenue from tourist lodges in that area. Staying outside the park in these concessions does offer the visitor chance to enjoy bush walks and night drives.
