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Tarangire National Park
Although the Tarangire National Park landscape is less spectacular than other parks and you have to put more effort into finding game, during the dry season many of the migratory wildlife species return to the permanent waters of Tarangire River and huge herds of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, eland and oryx gather until the onset of the rains when they migrate onwards to better seasonal grazing areas. Tarangire is approximately 2600 square kilometers in area and, during the dry season, is second only to Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area in concentrations of wildlife. But it is the vast number of baobab trees that visually define Tarangire National Park, for the visitor, trees that seem to dwarf the animals that feed beneath them.
Tarangire lies to the south of the large, open grass plains of southern Maasailand, and derives its name from the Tarangire River, which provides permanent water for wildlife in the area. Today the annual migration is increasingly threatened by agricultural encroachment on the edges of the park.
Massive herds of elephants and massed wildebeest, zebra, hartebeest, buffalo, eland, and oryx migrate to the (permanent) river during the dry season. There are even pythons in the park who can be found in the trees.
In winter and spring the region is verdant and the newborn wildebeest and zebra abound. By March everything is blooming. In the north the buffalo and elephant roam, in the park center are warthogs, reedbucks, giraffes, gazelle and other species; plenty of food to keep the leopards and large prides of lions resident. In the south, Lake Ndutus flamingoes and in the west Africas largest Nile crocodiles in the Grumeti River. Quite a sight!
