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TARANGIRE
NATIONAL PARK
Tarangire National Park is in the most southern of the accessible
parks of northern Tanzania. Named after River Tarangire, the park
covers an area of 2,600 sq.km. Much of the park is open grassy savannah,
dotted with splendid specimens of Baobab trees, but there are also
swampy areas in the south.
It is one of the few protected areas in Tanzania with a hydrological
regime that ensures an year round water source for the park's most
exceptional resource, the Tarangire River.During the best game watching
months, much of the park wildlife is concentrated within the vicinity
of the Tarangire River. The Park has the greatest  concentration
of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem. Among other species to
be seen at Tarangire are buffalo, herds of up to 300 elephant, lion,
warthog, eland, the fringe eared oryx, lesser and greater kudu, gerenuk
and large numbers of impala. The park is also famous for tree climbing
pythons and abundant birdlife.
The area in the most northerly part of the Park within the triangle
formed by the eastern and western boundaries and the Tarangire River
as it flows westwards towards Lake Burungi is called Lemiyon.
The most striking feature of this part of the Park is the majestic,
old baobab trees. With their massive silvery trunks, spindly branches
and gourd-like fruit, they are strange and impressive trees. As many
baobab trees are hollow, they frequently serve as reservoirs for rainwater,
as the site of wild beehives or as nesting trees for hornbills.
Wildebeest and zebras are common here, as they are in many other parts
of the Park. Both species need to drink regularly so unless there
are pools of surface water, they do not go far from the river. Throughout
Tarangire you will see ecological processes at work. Grasses, shrubs
and trees grow fueled by energy form the sun. Herbivores, like gazelles,
zebras and buffalo's, eat these plants. In turn they are hunted and
eaten by the carnivores, the hyenas, lion, and leopards, which are
at the top of this food chain. The Kongoni or Coke's hartebeest is
often seen here and throughout the Park. Elephants may be seen at
the river during the dry season, as in many other parts of the Park
African Jacana Safaris SDD : Wildlife Safaris: Kenya safaris/Tours:Camping
Safaris:Flying Safaris:Birding safaris
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