Visit Tarangire National Park in Tanzania

Safaris in Tarangire National Park range from 3 to 12 days, with camping, hot air balloon rides, and game drives. Follow park rules to ensure safety and protect wildlife. Entry fees vary by residency, and activities include nature walks, birdwatching, and guided game drives. Explore Tarangire below.


Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder at Tarangire National Park.

The blink of an eye will make you miss out on the twittering birds at this park, which keeps you glancing from one direction to another, wanting to see more amazing features.

If you blink, you may miss out on seeing the astonishing food web organization where wild running tigers, leopards, and lions race with the buffaloes, hyenas, zebras, and rhinos to feast on them, while the reptiles that feed on meat track antelopes to eat them (some feed on grass).

The park was named after the Tarangire River that passes through the park, and it’s this water body that animal species get water from.

Tarangire National Park is also filled with baobab trees. Many tourists come to see the hundreds of ancient rock paintings in the vicinity of Kolo and the 300 elephants.

Interesting Facts about Tarangire

Interesting facts about Tarangire national park include:

  • Tarangire national park is named after Tarangire River, the lifeline of the national park.
  • Tarangire was first gazetted as a forest reserve before being established as a national park in 1970.
  • Tarangire national park covers an area of 2,850 square kilometers, coming in 6th among the largest national parks in Tanzania.
  • It is located in North Tanzania in the famous Manyara region, South East of Lake Manyara national park.
  • It is home to a high concentration of elephants where a herd of elephants can have up to 500 individuals.
  • Notable animals in Tarangire national park include the elephants, olive baboons, warthogs, hippos, buffalos, wildebeests, lions, spotted hyenas, zebras, vervet monkeys, impalas, hartebeests, tree climbing pythons, waterbucks and more.
  • Home to unique animal species that are not found. Or easily seen in other national parks in Tanzania. Like the fringe-eared oryxes, long-necked gerenuk, and the very rare African wild dogs.
  • Home to a rich birdlife of over 500 different bird species. Making the park one of the best places to go for birding safaris in Tanzania.
  • Tanzania National Park Authority which also manages all the other national parks in Tanzania.
  • Activities in Tarangire national park include game drives (day and night), walking safaris, hot air ballon safaris, birding and community visits.
  • Attractions in Tarangire national park include animals, birds, Tarangire River, the unique vegetation championed by the baobab trees.
  • You can access Tarangire national park both by road and by air chartering domestic flights.
  • Best time to visit Tarangire national park for wildlife viewing is during the dry season. It runs from June to September and October. When the population of animals more than doubles as a result of animals migrating into the park attracted by Tarangire River.

How to plan a safari to Tanzania

Plan for your safari today by taking these interesting steps:

  • Step 1: Select the national park you wish to visit.
  • Step 2: Clarify the kind of traveler you are.
  • Step 3: Tick off grand bucket list experiences that will fire your imagination in Tanzania.

Tarangire National Park is located in the Manyara region in Babati District, hosting 550 bird species.

According to some researchers, Tarangire is referred to as a river of warthogs because of the many warthogs within the national park.

Popular Safaris & Tours

Tarangire National Park Safaris include:

  • 6 Days Tanzania Camping Safari: This involves camping in the wilderness areas of Africa, where tourists mingle with the community and enjoy the dark nights brightened by the stars and the moon.
  • 12 Days Tanzania Safari Tour: In this package, major national parks are visited, including Lake Manyara National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha, Masai village, and Olduvia Gorge.
  • 5 Day Tanzania Safari: You visit Tarangire National Park (mostly for tourists who love elephants) and Ngorongoro Crater (the biggest concentration of wildlife is at this park).
  • 3 Days Several Wildlife and Tarangire National Park: This relaxing safari enables you to enjoy hot air balloon rides while viewing different mammals, and also game drives are done both during the day and evenings, driving throughout the park while observing the movements of different animals.

Park Entry Fees

The entry fee for 24 hours at the park covers the concession fee, which is paid by those wanting to book accommodations outside the park.

It can be paid by credit cards or cash, either in US dollars or Tanzanian shillings.

People from East African countries pay in shillings, while non-residents or foreigners pay in dollars.

The paid fee is non-refundable after entering the park. Adults who are non-residents pay $50, children pay $25, and citizens pay 10,000 Tshs.

The means of transport can be either air or road transport, depending on your comfort or your booking arrangements.

Park Rules & Regulations

Before engaging in any activity, there are rules and regulations that apply in the national park, including:

  • Avoid littering in the park: Dustbins are usually placed all over the park to ensure that the place is clean. Some animals may eat the litter like polythene, which may harm them. For the safety of the animals, endeavor to throw rubbish in designated bins.
  • Avoid going on unauthorized routes and tracks: In most cases, tour guides are assigned to each group visiting the national park to ensure your safety. Follow the instructions of the tour guide and do not go where you are not told to go. Even if you have knowledge of tracking big cats or other animal species, be slow to action and quick to listen at Tarangire National Park.
  • All visitors are accompanied by a licensed guide: Do not allow any person who is not an official or employee at the park to lead you through the bush. You may land in trouble, and an unskilled guide may not be able to help you. Always ensure that the person guiding you is the right person.
  • Avoid making noise: Especially when in close proximity to wild animals, maintain a quiet environment. Noise creates tension and disrupts their normal routine. To avoid missing out on seeing a variety of animals, do everything in silence.
  • Don’t feed the wild species: Feeding them interferes with their normal hunting habits, and it’s only wild animals in zoos that are fed. To help them survive in the wild, do not give them anything to eat.

What to do – Safari Activities

Main activities done at the park include:

  • Nature Walks: This activity takes place in the presence of a ranger guide who walks you through the park while viewing different scenic beauties of the landscape and the green savanna vegetation. This vegetation turns brown in the dry season but becomes vibrant during the wet season.
  • Birdwatching: Swampy floodplains in the woodland areas collect a variety of birds at Tarangire National Park. For birdwatching lovers and photographers, visiting during the wet season, from November to March, is the best option. Some of the birds you can see include ostriches, African jacanas, yellow-collared birds, starlings, rufous-tailed weavers, and hammerkops, to mention a few.
  • Game Drives: These are only done in safari vehicles to avoid attacks from big cats. The fear these vehicles because they think they are big and more powerful species, ensuring your safety.

Best Time to Visit Tarangire

The best time to visit is during seasons when prices are lower, allowing you to see a variety of places.

However, this depends on the tourist, as each person makes their choice.

There are many attractions in the park, including swamps that absorb water during wet seasons and become boggy during the dry season.

This attracts a number of animals to come and collect in such areas to get water for drinking.

The giant baobab tree, known as the life-giving tree, collects water in its trunks during rainy seasons, enabling it to bear fruit during the dry season, which some animals feed on.

Accommodation – Where to Stay

Accommodations at the park include Tarangire Safari Lodge, Tarangire Treetops, Mabali Mabali Tarangire River Camp, to mention but a few.

Live your life by a compass, not by a clock. Compass by traveling today to Tarangire National Park and expand your joy with the fantasy that you will find at the park.


Explore Tarangire National Park

The wildlife at Tarangire National Park is great! The giant baobab tree, known as the life-giving tree, collects water in its trunks during rainy seasons, enabling it to bear fruit during the dry season, which some animals feed on. Explore Tarangire Park today!

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