Day after
day of
cloudless
skies.
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
there
Easy 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 go
Year round
but dry
season (June
- September)
for sheer
numbers of
animals.
Accommodation
More info on
accomodation
