The Tarangire river valley is the park's spine and where most game drives spend their time. Elephant herds — often several hundred animals in a morning — come down to dig in the sand and drink, alongside zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and the impala that draw the predators.

The Silale swamp in the south holds water longest and is the most rewarding area in the late dry season, with buffalo herds, elephants and the park's best lion activity. It is far enough from the entrance that many day visitors never reach it — a night inside the park changes what you can cover.

The baobab country throughout is Tarangire's signature. These are the trees elephants strip and scar, and the classic photographs of the park — a herd beneath a vast baobab — come from the open woodland along the river.

The park's dry-country specialities are worth looking for deliberately: fringe-eared oryx, gerenuk and lesser kudu occur here at the edge of their ranges and are not found in the Serengeti.

June to October is the season, strengthening through September and October. Tarangire is also one of East Africa's best birding parks, with over 500 species and a wet-season influx that makes November to March worthwhile for birders even as mammal numbers drop.

Practicalities

Tarangire sits about two hours from Arusha and is usually the first or last stop on a northern circuit alongside Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Many itineraries give it a single day-trip, which is a mistake in the dry season — the southern swamps reward a longer stay.