Tarangire National Park

Imagine days of cloudless hot days. The surface you walk on consists of mainly of dusty red sand. The remaining grass patches are sparse and brittle like straw. The Tarangire River consists of pools where the thirsty wildlife gathers in large herds hoping for some water at the end of each day. Here the elephants will scratch the river bed seeking water and around them wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland will gather around the shrinking pools of water. Outside of the Serengeti eco-system this is the greatest concentration of wildlife. It is a table decked for the predators. Here you can also observe the scarce fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk.

During the rainy season, the seasonal wildlife graze on the 20,000 sq km (12,500 sq miles) range until they exhaust the green plains and the river calls once more. Elephants are encountered everywhere whether it is wet or dry. The swamps, tinged green all year round, are also the focus for 550 bird varieties, the highest number of breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world.

Kori bustards, stocking-thighed ostriches, hornbills, yellow-collared lovebirds, rufus-tailed weavers, ashy starlings and red-and-yellow barbets are all endemic to the dry savannah of northern Tanzania.

It is here in Tarangire that you will see the most unusual sight of pythons, lions and leopards climbing and lounging in the branches of larger trees. Do not be surprised when you confuse the fruit of the sausage tree with wildlife.