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Elephants under baobab trees in Tarangire National Park
Home/Day trips/Tarangire National Park in a Day
Day trip · Full day · From Arusha

Tarangire National Park in a Day

Elephants under baobabs and a river that holds water when almost nothing else does: Tarangire is about two hours from Arusha on tarmac, and from June to October it is the best single park day in the north.

ArushaTarangireArusha
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LengthFull day · about 9–11 hours
ParkTarangire National Park
Pick-upYour hotel in Arusha
ActivityEasy — long day seated
Best monthsJune–October
OverviewThe routeThe dayRatesIncludedAdd-onsWhen to goGetting thereFAQEnquire
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IOverview

Elephants, baobabs and one river, a morning’s drive away.

Tarangire is baobab country: huge grey trees across rolling bush, and the Tarangire River winding through the north of the park. In the dry months the river draws elephants in family herds, along with buffalo, zebra, giraffe and the predators that follow them. It is the day trip we would choose from Arusha between June and October.

A day trip sees the northern part of the park, near the river, and that is where most of the action is in the dry season. It does not reach the quieter south, and you leave before the evening light. If you want both, a night at a camp near the park fixes it — see the add-ons below.

Major attractions · 3
  1. 01Elephant herds
  2. 02Baobab trees
  3. 03The Tarangire River
Trip detailsPrivate
Length
Full day · about 9–11 hours
Pick-up
Your hotel in Arusha
Start / end
Your hotel in Arusha, both ways
Activity level
Easy — long day seated
Group size
Maximum per vehicle
Meals
Picnic lunch in the park
What to bring
Light neutral clothes, sun hat, sunscreen, binoculars
Best period
Jun–Oct
Minimum age
Ask us
Request a free quote →Questions? WhatsApp +255 762 914 714
IIThe route

South-west on tarmac, a day in the park, and back.

About 2 hours each way from Arusha on tarmac, turning off at Makuyuni for the gate. The solid line is the way there and back; the dotted lines are other roads nearby.

Route map: Arusha to Tarangire National Park via Makuyuni, and back N Arusha Tarangire Makuyuni
  1. 01Arusha → Tarangire → Arusha~4 h road · ~5½ h game
Overnight stopPassing throughSchematic, roughly to scale
IIIThe day

The day, hour by hour.

The whole day as it usually runs, from pick-up to drop-off. Times are approximate and bend around the traffic, the weather and how long you want to stay.

Elephants under baobab trees in Tarangire
Tarangire
01/ 01

About 2 hours each way on tarmac, and five hours or more in the park.

03°22′S 36°41′EDay 1 · Arusha → Tarangire → Arusha

Elephants on the Tarangire River

Travel
~4 h road
Game viewing
~5½ h
Meals
Picnic lunch
Sleep
Homeward
  1. About 07:00

    Your guide collects you from your hotel in Arusha. South-west on good tarmac through Maasai country, turning off at Makuyuni for the park.

  2. About 09:00

    Through the gate before the heat builds. The first baobabs are close to the entrance, and so, often, are the first elephants.

  3. Morning

    Slowly north along the river. In the dry months this is where the animals come to drink: elephant families, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, and lions resting in the shade nearby.

  4. Midday

    Picnic lunch at a site inside the park, usually above the river.

  5. Afternoon

    A different loop back through the woodland and the baobabs, with time to stay where something is happening.

  6. About 17:00

    Out of the park before closing and back up the tarmac to Arusha, arriving in the early evening.

Tsetse flies

Tarangire has them in the wooded stretches. Wear light, neutral colours — dark blue and black attract them — and they are a nuisance rather than a danger.

IVRates

Priced by group size, because the vehicle is shared.

Park fees, accommodation, vehicle, guide and meals as listed — per person, no booking fees. Rates move with the month and lodge availability; your quote is fixed once you book.

Private · price per person, sharing
Group size1 person2 people3 people4 people5 people6 people
From yearraterateraterateraterate
Single supplementamount
Children

Child policy: ages, sharing discount, lodge minimum ages

What moves the price

What changes itHow much

  • How many share the vehicle

    The vehicle and guide cost the same for one person or a full vehicle, so the per-person price falls as the group grows.

  • Park fees

    Set per person per day by the park authority, the same whoever you book with. We show them as their own line.

  • Where we collect you

    Arusha hotels are the standard pick-up. Moshi or a lodge further out adds driving time.

Not sure which level suits you? Tell us your dates, group and budget and we will send an itemised quote with named properties.

Request a free quote →
On request
On request
VThe fine print

What is in the price, and what isn’t.

✓Included

  • Private 4×4 safari vehiclePop-up roof, a window seat for everyone
  • A professional driver-guideYours for the whole day
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-offAnywhere in Arusha
  • Tarangire National Park entry feesCurrent park fee per person — itemised on your quote
  • Picnic lunchEaten at a picnic site inside the park
  • Drinking water in the vehicle

–Not included

  • Tips for your guideWe send guidance with your booking
  • Drinks other than water
  • A night near the parkOptional; see the add-ons
  • Travel insuranceRecommended for any trip
VIAdd-ons & changes

The plan is a starting point, not a package.

The changes people ask for most, each with what it costs you in days or hours. Not in the standard price — arranged on request, and most can be combined.

+1 nightprice

Stay the night near the park

Sleep at a tented camp by the park and add the evening and the next morning, when the light and the animals are at their best.

Makes senseYou want more than a glimpse
Tarangire →
+1 dayprice

Lake Manyara in a day

On almost the same road: groundwater forest, the Rift escarpment and the lake shore. A very different park.

Makes senseThe greener months especially
Lake Manyara day trip →
+1 dayprice

Ngorongoro Crater in a day

A longer day further up the same road, down onto the crater floor.

Makes senseYou have one more day and an early start in you
Ngorongoro day trip →
+2 nightsprice

Make it a three-day safari

Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara with two nights in the Karatu highlands.

Makes senseYou want more than one park
The three-day express →
Same dayprice

Photography with your guide

Tell us you are here for pictures and we will plan the day around the light and the river, not the clock.

Makes senseYou carry a long lens
Photographic safaris →
VIIWhen to go

Rated for this route, not for the country.

Tarangire changes more with the seasons than any other park near Arusha. From June to October the Tarangire River is the main water for a long way, and elephants and other animals gather along it in numbers. In the wet months many animals spread out beyond the park, the grass grows tall and the day is quieter; April and May bring the long rains.

Jan
Dry spell, green plains
Feb
Calving in the south
Mar
Rains building
Apr
Long rains
May
Rains easing
Jun
Dry season begins
Jul
Dry, busy, cool
Aug
Dry, busy
Sep
Dry, Tarangire at its best
Oct
Dry, dusty
Nov
Short rains
Dec
Green, quieter
Three bars — the route at its bestTwo — good, with trade-offsOne — possible, and quiet
VIIIGetting there

Getting there.

From your hotel

Pick-up anywhere in Arusha

Your guide collects you early from your hotel and brings you back in the early evening. Staying in Moshi? Ask us; it adds more than an hour each way.

From the airport

Kilimanjaro International (JRO)

Too far to fit around a flight. Land the day before and spend a night in Arusha; we can arrange it.

With a safari or climb

Before or after a longer trip

Tarangire is usually the first park on a northern safari. As a day trip it suits a spare day before or after Kilimanjaro, or a short visit to Arusha.

What else to budget.

Not part of the safari price, in order of how much they matter.

  • TipsYour guide, for the day
    Guideline
  • Personal spendingDrinks, crafts
    Varies
IXWhy book with us

Only what we can prove.

01

Arusha, since 2010

A Tanzanian company, locally owned, running safaris and climbs from Arusha for more than fifteen years.

02

Licensed and registered

TALA-licensed through the Tanzania Tourist Board and registered with BRELA. Ask us for the numbers; we will send them.

03

One guide, one vehicle

The same guide drives you from the first day to the last. Nobody else joins your vehicle.

04

Every fee on its own line

Park, conservation and concession fees are shown separately on your quote, so you can see exactly what goes to the authorities.

XQuestions

The ones we are asked most.

June to October, when the Tarangire River draws animals in from the surrounding country. It is a good day at other times of year too, just quieter, with many animals spread out beyond the park.

Nothing is guaranteed in a wild park. In the dry months, elephants in Tarangire are about as close to certain as it gets; in the wet months they are still likely, in smaller numbers.

It is enough to see the northern part of the park along the river, which is where most animals are in the dry season. A night nearby adds the evening and early morning, which a day trip misses.

They are in the wooded parts of the park. Wear light, neutral colours, bring repellent, and your guide will close the roof hatch in the worst stretches. They are a nuisance, not a danger to most visitors.

Yes, a picnic lunch eaten at a picnic site in the park. Tell us about any diets when you book.

Begin here

Send us your dates. We will send you the real version.

Named camps, the right direction of travel for your month, every fee on its own line — and a straight answer if another plan would suit you better.

Rather talk it through?WhatsApp us+255 762 914 714
Safari request Tarangire National Park in a Day One day · 9–11 hours · private
01When, and what for?
How fixed are the dates?
What do you want from it? Pick any
02Who’s coming?
Travelling as
03How you like it
Style of camp

Not a commitment. It lets us send something realistic instead of something you have to reject.

04Where to reach you
We need a name to write back to.
That email address does not look complete.
Step 1 of 4
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