Tarangire

The baobabs are the first thing you notice, and then the elephants beneath them. In the dry season the Tarangire River is the only water for miles, and herds of up to three hundred come down to it. Everything else follows: wildebeest, zebra, eland, and the predators behind them. It is a park of shadow and light, dust and water, and trees older than anyone's family.

The park runs on a seasonal migration. When the plains dry out in July, wildebeest, zebra, eland, gazelle and the predators that follow them all converge on the river. Only the Ngorongoro Crater has a denser concentration of wildlife, but here the space is much larger and the wilderness feels deeper. It is shadow and light, dust and water, old trees and big herds.

If you watch birds, Tarangire is the park. More than 550 species have been recorded here, the most in Tanzania. Yellow-collared lovebirds turn the acacias bright green, and martial eagles scan the grass from dead branches. Spend the day tracking herds along the riverbed, or watch the sun set behind a thousand-year-old baobab with a cold drink in your hand.

At a Glance

Tarangire