Elephants, baobabs and a river that never quite dries up
2,850 square kilometres of savannah 121 kilometres from Arusha, the official 2026/27 tariff in shillings and the authority's offer from night drives to balloon flights, referenced at TANAPA.
Tarangire National Park lies 121 kilometres (75 mi) from Arusha: 2,850 square kilometres (1,100 sq mi) of grassland, acacia and baobab woodland and swamps, where elephants, zebras, wildebeest and buffaloes gather along the river in the dry season. It has been managed by Tanzania National Parks since 1970.
The park lies south-west of Arusha; from the main gate in the north, the tracks follow the Tarangire River south. The river flows north through the park into Lake Burunge and is linked to the Silale, Gurusi and Lamakau swamps. In the dry season from June to October, the river and the permanent swamps are the water source for thousands of animals from the whole region; the authority then promises the best game drives. Elephants dig in the riverbed for water at that time.
What a visit costs is set out in the authority's tariff database, valid 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027: 127,750 Tanzanian shillings per adult per 24 hours from 16 May to 14 March, children aged 5 to 15 38,325, each including 18 per cent tax. For 15 March to 15 May the database lists no separate entry fee. Public campsite 76,650 per night, night game drive 127,750, balloon safari 127,750 park fee on top. Payment is electronic.
For Tarangire the authority lists night game drives, canoeing, sundowners and walks with a ranger in its tariff database; it does not list night game drives for the Serengeti. Most visitors still come for a day with an operator from Arusha, or the park is the first stop of a safari to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. You can stay at the authority's campsites and cottages at the main gate, at special and seasonal campsites, or in private lodges and camps inside the park.
Tarangire is known for its baobabs, which according to the authority can live up to 3,000 years, and for its termite mounds, home to dwarf mongooses. The park page gives over 550 bird species, among them the yellow-collared lovebird and the ashy starling. The park brochure gives over 500 species elsewhere.
TANAPA: park page record for Tarangire (area 2,850 km², elevation 985 m, founded 1970) ↗
The park in numbers
- Area
- 2,850 km² (1,100 sq mi)
- Established
- 1970
- Elevation
- 985 m (3,232 ft) according to the authority
- Tickets & fees
- 127,750 TZS per 24 hours, incl. 18% tax
- Children 5 to 15
- 38,325 TZS
- Campsite
- 76,650 TZS per person per night
- From Arusha
- 121 km (75 mi) of tarmac to the main gate
- Dry season
- June to October, January and February
- Bird species
- over 550 according to the park page
