The
fierce sun sucks the moisture from the landscape, baking the earth a
dusty red, the withered grass as brittle as straw. The Tarangire River
has shrivelled to a shadow of its wet season self. But it is choked
with wildlife. Thirsty nomads have wandered hundreds of parched
kilometres knowing that here, always, there is water.
Herds
of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground
streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle,
hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It's the greatest
concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem - a
smorgasbord for predators – and the one place in Tanzania where
dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared oryx and peculiar
long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed.
During the rainy season, the seasonal visitors scatter over a 20,000
sq km (12,500 sq miles) range until they exhaust the green plains and
the river calls once more. But Tarangire's mobs of elephant are easily
encountered, wet or dry.
The
swamps, tinged green year round, are the focus for 550 bird varieties,
the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world.
On
drier ground you find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the
stocking-thighed ostrich, the world's largest bird; and small parties
of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys.
More
ardent bird-lovers might keep an eye open for screeching flocks of the
dazzlingly colourful yellow-collared lovebird, and the somewhat
drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling – all endemic to the dry
savannah of north-central Tanzania.
Disused
termite mounds are often frequented by colonies of the endearing dwarf
mongoose, and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention to
themselves by their loud, clockwork-like duetting.
Tarangire's
pythons climb trees, as do its lions and leopards, lounging in the
branches where the fruit of the sausage tree disguises the twitch of a
tail.
About Tarangire National Park
Size: 2850 sq km (1,096 sq miles).
Location: 118 km (75 miles) southwest of Arusha.
Getting thereEasy
drive from Arusha or Lake Manyara following a surfaced road to within
7km (four miles) of the main entrance gate; can continue on to
Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.
Charter flights from Arusha and the Serengeti.
What to do
Guided walking safaris.
Day
trips to Maasai and Barabaig villages, as well as to the hundreds of
ancient rock paintings in the vicinity of Kolo on the Dodoma Road.
When to goYear round but dry season (June - September) for sheer numbers of animals.
Accommodation
Two
lodges, one tented lodge, two luxury tented camps inside the park,
another half-dozen exclusive lodges and tented camps immediately
outside its borders.
Several camp sites in and around the park.
More info on accomodation call or email us.
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