The life in the park revolves around the Tarangire river that crosses it longitudinally from South to North and ensures a permanent source of water even during the dry season.

The river's name comes from the union of two words: Tara and Ngire: "Tara" in Mbugwe language means "river" but also "snaking"; while the word "Ngire" in Hadzabe language means "warthog", and actually many warthogs live here.

There are different viable tracks within the park where you can go on walking safari and discover  this gem of nature.

The Northern area of the park, where there is the main entrance, lies around a huge bend of the Tarangire river; here the landscape is flat, but soon begins to be wavy with a series of gently rolling hills that are covered with thick lush vegetation in the green season.
 
Arriving from the North entrance, you encounter the Lemiyon Route that runs through much of the Northern portion of the park; along this road there are the headquarters of the Tanapa rangers, the airstip and some licensed camps.
 
Huge and ancient baobab trees can be seen here, some of them are said to have lived for more than a thousand years; with their unmistakable silhouette these wonderful trees are the distinctive feature of the Tarangire National Park, as it is the only park in Northern Tanzania that houses these giants.
 
The most famous baobab tree in the Tarangire National Park is known as "the Poacher’s Hideout Tree" because in the past it was used by poachers as a hiding and lookout place;  the trunk is big enough for 6 people to lie down inside.
 
The baobabs are very important trees in the park’s ecosystem, the elephants use them first as a water reservoir in times of drought, as the hollow trunk can contain several gallons of water; it is also not uncommon to see them ripping the bark and feed on it.
 
This beautiful tree is also used by men for numerous applications: the seed shells are used as water containers, medicines are obtained from its leaves and fruit pulp and rope, paper and fabric can be obtained from the bark.

Travelling Southwards, the Lemiyon Route divides into two paths: the Burungi Lake Route Westwards and the Matete Route Eastwards.

The Burungi Lake Route is a pleasant path winding up for 80 km in the combretum and acacia woods; with a bit of luck, you can spot the leopard here; along the way you can enjoy beautiful views of the Burungi Lake and the Manyara Lake and also the Milima Mitatu peaks, also known as "the three hills."

It is quite interesting to make a detour to the Burungi Lake on the Western border of the park; during the dry season this stretch of water dries up completely, leaving on the dry seabed an expanse of salt crystals that sparkle in the sun.

The Matete Route takes its name from the cane fields and the very high elephant grass that grow along the banks of the Tarangire River; this route is one of the best in the park to spot the animals, not only herbivorous and carnivores, but also many species of birds can easily be spotted in this area.

In addition to the Tarangire river, in the central area of the park lie the Silale Swamps, a very scenic area from where you can enjoy many sightings.

During the dry season the swamps partly dry up and the animals gather around the few remained waterholes; here, too, many species of birds can be spotted.

During the green season, some tracks cannot be viable because of the marshy ground.

In the Western part of the park you can take the Kitibong Hill Route, that, as the name suggests, runs around the Kitibong Hills.

The road passes through combretum and acacia woods and pointing to the South, you can reach the Gursi alluvial plain, that is home to numerous animal species and where buffalos and elephants can often be spotted.

The Southern part of the park is wild and unspoiled but hard to reach and therefore little frequented; here the landscape is mostly flat with grasslands and swamps.

In the Southern part of the park there are two main routes: the Gursi Route and the Lamarkau Route, both crossing the grasslands that are home to many species of the plain, such as ostriches.

During the green season, part of these lands is transformed into wetlands where you can spot hippos.

The Southernmost  part of the Tarangire National Park is divided into two areas: the Mkungunero to the South-West and the Nguselororobi to the East, where there are several fresh water springs attracting many animal species and you can spot cheetahs.

 
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