Day
after day of cloudless skies. The fierce sun sucks the moisture from
the landscape, baking the earth a dusty red, the withered grass as
brittle as straw. The Tarangire River has shriveled to a shadow of
its wet season self. But it is choked with wildlife. Thirsty nomads
have wandered hundreds of parched kilometers knowing that here,
always, there is water.
Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for
underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo,
impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons.
It's the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti
ecosystem - a smorgasbord for predators – and the one place in
Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared
oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk a regularly observed. During
the rainy season, the seasonal visitors scatter over a 20,000 sq km
(12,500 sq miles) range until they exhaust the green plains and the
river calls once more.
But Tarangire's mobs of elephant are easily encountered, wet or dry. The
swamps, tinged green year round, are the focus for 550 bird
varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the
world.
On drier ground you find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird;
the stocking-thighed ostrich, the world's largest bird; and small
parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys.
More ardent bird-lovers might keep an eye open for screeching flocks
of the dazzlingly colourful yellow-collared lovebird, and the
somewhat drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling – all
endemic to the dry savannah of north-central Tanzania.
Disused termite mounds are often frequented by colonies of the
endearing dwarf mongoose, and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which
draw attention to themselves by their loud, clockwork-like duetting.
Tarangire's pythons climb trees, as do its lions and leopards,
lounging in the branches where the fruit of the sausage tree
disguises the twitch of a tail.
Tarangire Accommodation
TARANGIRE SOPA LODGE TARANGIRE
NATIONAL PARK
Tarangire
is recognised as one of the best parks on the northern circuit for
elephant viewing during the dry season and Tarangire Sopa is ideally
placed to experience this. The lodge welcomes guests to its vast
marble-floored reception area with cold flannels and iced juice. In
the pretty gardens a large circular pool with a central island, a
pool bar and elegant wooden loungers demonstrates the lodge's
commitment to comfort. Delicious barbecue lunches are often served
here. A broad veranda wraps itself around the lodge and gives prime
viewing for the waterhole below, which is filled during the dry
season and becomes a magnet to wildlife. The rooms at the lodge are
simple, comfortable and spacious and arranged in groups of four, in
African-style buildings. Large sliding doors open to a private
balcony.