Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park

It will leave you speechless and then turn you into an adventure story teller! Welcome to “off the beaten path” Tarangire National park famous for hosting the oldest elephant known for giving birth to twins though less thronged in comparison to its well-known fellow magical northern circuit safari parks of Tanzania like Serengeti national park that safari goers dash to. Tarangire national park has been dubbed the “park of giants” by a legion of true Africa safari adventure enthusiasts and rightfully so since its home to bounteous gigantic African safari icons starting with the mystic ancient gigantic African baobab trees that effortlessly have conversations with African clouds whilst dwarfing everything in its environ, then the majestic African wildlife kings the lexodonta africana (African elephants) not forgetting the larger than life birds the Kori bustards dubbed the masai ostrichs weighing an astonishing 20 kg making them unquestionably the heaviest birds to take to the skies, clearly you haven’t been on an authentic adventurous African safari till you take this unbeaten path of Tarangire national park.

Tarangire National park was established in 1970 somewhat off the magical northern safari circuit route in northern Tanzania a 2 hours’ drive from Arusha, in the spectacular manyara region bordering the Tarangire wildlife conservation areas in the north a grazing ground for the natives and surrounded by other conservation areas whilst it lounges on a diverse habitat area measuring well over 2,850 square kilometres it comes in sixth size wise amongst the national parks of Tanzania after the national parks of Serengeti, Mikumi, Ruaha, Mkomazi and Katavi not a mean feat considering its ten times larger than lake manyara national park and the same size as the island of Zanzibar.

Tarangire national park is a part of the tarangire ecosystem also known as tarangire- manyara ecosystem or Maasai meadow however it has a peculiar beautiful ecosystem not characteristic of the northern safari circuit parks consisting of intriguing diverse habitats synonymous with the southern safari circuit Tanzanian parks like Ruaha thus making it an exclusive safari destination on the northern safari circuit sliced through by the tarangire river, dotted with all year emerald tinged swamps full of elephant grass, colonies of ancient baobab trees, savanah grasslands, thick acacia woodlands, rolling hills, rocky outcrops (kopjes), riverine vegetation like palm trees not forgetting the numerous sun baked red earth termite skyscrapers. In unison these habitats form an unbelievable niche of wildlife in tarangire national park making it second in terms of wildlife concentration of all Tanzanian national parks after the monumental Serengeti national park, at the same time it has the largest concentration of elephants in East Africa and only second to Botswana’s terrific Chobe National Park in the whole of Africa, all because of the abundant foliage, water and breeding grounds for the wildlife in Tarangire national park.

Tarangire national park is home to the African safari big five (elephant, cape buffalo, rhino, lion and leopard) with the exception of of the rhinos that are extinct in this area as well as a home to the endangered three animals that can be found nowhere else in Tanzania but here that is the gerenuks, the fringe-eared oryx and the towering greater kudu plus lots of other large mammals like zebras, giraffes, hippos, white bearded wildebeests and small mammals like the hartebeests, impalas, elands and reedbucks plus a superfluity of predators like the cheetahs, spotted hyenas, round eared wild dogs, the elusive leopards high up on the baobab trees scanning for prey, tree climbing pythons, over 700 resident lions not forgetting the monkeys and baboons. Oh yes tarangire national park is an authentic birding haven with well over 550 bird species registered here and the bird’s main habitat being the swamps, are a thing of a marvel as they are the highest bird breeding grounds in the whole world. Several aquatic, terrestrial, Eurasian migratory and resident birds like the African grey flycatcher, great white pelican, northern pied babbler, Donaldson-smith nightjar, rufos tailed weaver, pink breasted lark, Ashy starling and many more other birds not forgetting the masai ostrich the heaviest bird to take to the skies.

Tarangire national park has got several exceptional features that every visitor must be on the lookout for when on a safari to the park, the trail blazer being river tarangire from which the park is christened, it is a perennial river that slices through the park with its source based in the highland escarpments of babati district especially the hills of irangi from where it flows east to chubi and then turns north flowing through tarangire national park where it meanders through to the west and then southwards where it deposits in lake Burunge. That said this river is the heart beat of the park being a primary source of water and fodder on its banks especially during the dry seasons when the tarangire ecosystem turns brown and grasss brittles due to the unrelenting heat from the generously smiling sun that sucks water out of almost everything in the park to a point of even constricting the river to a narrow patch and the swamps shrinking as well, meaning it’s this river that attracts animals from far and wide creating a spectacular wildebeest annual migration of its own with several migratory ungulates coming through to have the last sweet drops of water that only river tarangire has plus its sumptuous riverine vegetation a meal the herbivores only dreamt of when starting their migration to the bunks, so you’ll find elephants on the bunks of the river digging the floors of the river so the river springs can bring forth water where several other herbivores eventually will be drinking from as well of course the sheer number of herbivores at the bunks of the river attract a large number of predators that have come to have their bellies full so the banks of this river are full of splendid wildlife drama with no blinking time because there is a lot of wildlife action rolling as if choreographed to the amusement of the visiting audience from all angles and directions making it a perfect strip for wild game drives and hot air balloon safaris.

The colonies of the iconic African mystic ancient baobab trees dotted all over the park are a jaw dropping scene out of what seems like an adventure movie a marvel well portrayed by the famous Africa expert writer Ryszard Kapuściński who metaphorically captures them as “just like the elephants are kings among animals so are the baobabs among the trees” with baobab trees standing an overwhelming over 30m tall up high in the African clouds with its long lasting resistant 11 meters diameter larger than life bloated trunks and bizarre branches with leaves that look like roots no wonder the myth that it was a second attempt at pulling off the tower of babel mission and the deity that be couldn’t allow any such gimmick and he just simply turned the tree upside down with its roots out for all to see and never attempt such a feat. These play a very vital role in the Tarangire national park as they provide food, indirect water and shelter to the birds and animals where you will find leopards up in the branches scouting for prey, birds nesting up in the branches not forgetting the bats and insects that call it home as well and the family of thick skinned animals like the hippos and elephants that rub their backs on the the trees trunk and tear off its bark for foliage at the same time using its shadows as shelter during the unforgiving sunny days. There is a famous one known as the poacher’s lookout tree that has become a must see in the park, it has a tiny man made entrance that ushers one into the hollow interior which can accommodate over 20 people. It was used as a hiding point for poachers to avoid detection by the game wardens but now it’s a favourite visitors site and when at it please watch out for the colonies of bees inside the trunk.

The swamps of tarangire national park mainly located in the south are all year emerald tinged and they are an avid birders haven with a worldwide birding accolade of having the most breeding bird species in one habitat anywhere in the world so birders will have a ball in these swamps of tarangire as they will feast on the colourful sights and earful sounds of birds like the red-billed hornbills, the different kinds of raptors, the ostriches, the lilac breasted rollers, the southern ground hornbills and many more birds not forgetting the numerous herbivorous mammals that descend in the swamps to nourish and cool off as well so it’s a spot for a thrilling walking safari as the marshes tend to dry out and animals take refuge in what remains of the swamp where is it’s the ideal spot for birding in the wet seasons with a plethora colourful noisy birds taking to the swamps to build nests, make love and breed a birding sight to behold a bird hive of activities so to speak.

The park fascinatingly has got vast red earth sun baked termite skyscrapers all over the park and the dormant ones being occupied by the dwarf mongoose while around the active ones be on the lookout for pangolins rolling into a ball whilst it picks up several termites it will have for dinner plus the termites attract birds as well so several birds will be on these spots protein nourishing not forgetting coloured lizards will be out in full force as well and after a full protein meal termites will dash to the nearby several rocky outcrops to recharge their solar powered bodies as they nod their heads in appreciation of the element of nature.

Tarangire national park inhabits the kolo rock art site situated a few minutes from the main gate of the park, it is a proposed world heritage and prehistoric rock shelter site with ancient rock drawings and artefacts belonging to the early man on display so a trip down to kolo will give visitors an opportunity to appreciate the evolution of themselves as a species a very sobering moment that will be full of reflection on what humanity has this far achieved and the possibilities yet ahead. On this same sight visit one shouldn’t miss out the cultural visits to the Maasai and Barabaig villages in the vicinity of the park to immerse themselves in the cashless ancient ways of life and customs of these world renown mystic people of Africa.