Safari to Tarangire

enormous herds of elephants gather along the river

Located 200 km southeast of Serengeti, Tarangire is a substantial national park, lying at the heart of a vast conservation area of around 20,000 square kilometres.

It is a scenic safari area, of undulating hills and small scenic valleys, renowned for great baobab trees and prodigious herds of elephants.

The landscapes here are considerably different from those in nearby Serengeti and Ngorongoro. The three areas therefore tend to combine well, particularly in an overland safari.

Tarangire tends to feature in a relatively small proportion of trips, mainly because there are so many locations to compete for nights in this greater Serengeti area. You usually need to be on safari for at least 6-8 nights before this becomes an option.

The usual stay duration is 1-3 nights.

Seasonality

Tarangire is conventionally considered best during the Jun-Oct dry season, when the wildlife gathers along the river. These conditions often continue through Nov-Feb, depending on the short rains.

The whole of the Mar-May green season is generally considered less appealing due to the more difficult wildlife viewing, but the park is pretty and visitor numbers are low.

Getting there

The vast majority of visitors to Tarangire arrive by guided overland safari, so they travel to their lodge and around the reserve in their private vehicle.

Around 5% of visitors to Tarangire arrive by light aircraft, almost always into Kuro Airstrip in the south of the reserve, to stay in one of the more remote and higher quality camps down there. In this case they travel around the reserve with a vehicle and guide from their camp.

Where to stay

Tarangire has a relatively wide range of around twenty lodges, which range from simple motel style operations to smaller, more remote and higher quality camps.

The most authentic safari experience is probably to be found in the intimate and high end Oliver’s Camp and Nomad Kuro Tarangire Camp.

More luxurious high end options include Lemala Mpingo Ridge Camp and Sanctuary Swala Camp.

The best mid-priced option is the centrally located Mawe Ninga Camp and its sister operation Ormatai Rocks.

an optional extension to a Serengeti safari