Montero

No payment to enquire Moshi EAT (UTC+3) WhatsApp Phone & email
Private Safaris
Plan your journey
A herd of elephants of several ages walking together across dry golden grassland.

Short break

Tarangire Baobab & Elephant Kingdom

Three days on Tarangire’s elephants and its giant baobabs, close enough to Arusha to be worth it. Night drives and walking safaris are possible here because the concessions on the park boundary allow what the park itself does not.

Request a quote See the itinerary
Duration3 days / 2 nights
RouteTarangire · private concessions on the boundary
PaceGentle to moderate
Best monthsJune to October, when the animals…
FromOn request

About this journey

Three days on Tarangire's elephants and its giant baobabs, close enough to Arusha to be worth it. Night drives and walking safaris are possible here because the concessions on the park boundary allow what the park itself does not.

Best months. June to October, when the animals concentrate on the river. The green season is beautiful, much emptier, and the game is dispersed.

Pace. Gentle to moderate, with an optional walk.

Who this journey suits

You have three or four days, perhaps around something else in Arusha.

Elephants are the thing you most want to see.

You want a night drive or a walk, which the big parks do not allow.

A short first safari appeals more than a long first commitment.

Highlights

  • The Tarangire river in the dry season, when it is the only water for a long way
  • Baobabs several centuries old, and elephants that strip them
  • Night drives in the boundary concessions, with genet, civet and sometimes leopard
  • Walking safari with an armed ranger
  • Under three hours from Kilimanjaro airport, so no day is lost to transfer

Route

Stops on Tarangire Baobab & Elephant Kingdom
StopNightsWhy
Tarangire2 nightsOne camp, in or on the boundary of the park.

How the journey flows

Every point below is a real place at its real coordinates. The coastline is simplified — this is a route diagram, not a survey map.

Schematic map of Tanzania showing the route for Tarangire Baobab & Elephant Kingdom. The same route is listed as text beside this map. Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)Tarangire Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)Tarangire
  • Private 4×4

In order

  1. Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)Arrive
  2. TarangirePrivate 4×4
  3. Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO)Private 4×4

Day by day

A starting point. Every day here can be moved, shortened or removed — open one to read what it holds.

  1. Day1 Arrive and drive down WhereTarangire OvernightTented camp Meals LD

    Met at Kilimanjaro and about three hours south-west, in the park by early afternoon. The first drive is along the river. A night drive after dinner if you are staying in a concession.

    Where you would sleep this night

    Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.

    • Classic tented camp — an example of this standard.Classic tented campTwin or double, with a few family units. Mosquito netting over the bed as standard.
    • No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
  2. Day2 The river and the swamps WhereTarangire OvernightTented camp Meals BLD

    A full day with lunch back at camp. The southern swamps are a long drive and worth it in the dry months. Walking safari at first light if you want one.

    Where you would sleep this night

    Described by standard, not by name: we do not name a property we have no agreement with. Your written proposal names the actual place, and the photographs here are examples of the standard rather than pictures of it. Power, water, wifi and access for each standard.

    • Classic tented camp — an example of this standard.Classic tented campTwin or double, with a few family units. Mosquito netting over the bed as standard.
    • No photograph on fileLodgeTwin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
  3. Day3 Home WhereTarangire → Kilimanjaro Overnight— Meals BL

    A morning drive, then about three hours to the airport, with a margin for an international departure.

Where you would stay

Open any of these for rooms, power hours, hot water, Wi-Fi and the honest access position.

Classic tented camp

Classic tented camp

Canvas rooms on a solid raised floor, with a proper bed, an en-suite bathroom and hot water brought to you or heated on demand. The standard of the Tanzanian safari circuit, and far more comfortable than the word “tent” suggests.

Where
Inside the parks and conservation areas, usually 12 to 20 rooms.
Rooms
Twin or double, with a few family units. Mosquito netting over the bed as standard.
Power
Solar, typically with limited hours. High-draw sockets are rare. If you travel with a medical device, we confirm the power hours at each property in writing before anything is booked.
Hot water
Hot water heated on request or on a schedule, not continuously.
Wi-Fi
In the mess area at some camps, not in the rooms, and often not at all. Treat it as absent and be pleasantly surprised.
Access
Varies enormously. Some camps have level decking from the vehicle to the bed; most have two or three steps. None has been measured by us, so none is confirmed step-free.
Sustainability
Solar power and grey-water handling are usual, though no property on this site has been audited by us.

Amenities

  • En-suite bathroom
  • Hot water, usually on request
  • Solar lighting
  • Charging point in the mess tent
  • Laundry, daily
  • Full-board dining
  • Bucket or pressure shower

Described by style, not by name. We do not name a camp, lodge or hotel we have no agreement with — that would be a public claim about somebody else's business. The specific properties held for you are named in your written proposal, with their access detail, before you pay anything.

Lodge

Lodge

Solid-walled, with a roof, a proper bathroom and usually a pool. Warmer than canvas, which at 2,300 m on the Ngorongoro rim matters a great deal.

Where
Crater rim, park gates, and the highland towns.
Rooms
Twin, double and family rooms. Ground-floor rooms available at most.
Power
Mains, usually with generator backup. The most reliable power of any accommodation type here.
Hot water
Continuous hot water.
Wi-Fi
Usually available in public areas and sometimes in rooms. Slow but real.
Access
Ground-floor rooms are available at most. Roll-in showers are rare and none is confirmed by us. Rim lodges are often built across a slope on several levels, which is the real obstacle rather than the room itself.
Sustainability
Varies widely, and no property on this site has been audited by us.

Amenities

  • En-suite bathroom with continuous hot water
  • Mains electricity
  • Heating or a fireplace at altitude
  • Swimming pool at many
  • Laundry
  • Full-board dining
  • Room safe

Described by style, not by name. We do not name a camp, lodge or hotel we have no agreement with — that would be a public claim about somebody else's business. The specific properties held for you are named in your written proposal, with their access detail, before you pay anything.

What it costs

Price on request — quoted on your dates and camp standard. No price on this site has been approved, and nothing here is a quotation.

No price is published for this journey. It is quoted on your dates, the size of your party, how much of it you fly, and the standard of camp — and those four move the figure by a very large margin. Rather than print a range nobody has stood behind, we will build you a written, itemised quotation. It is free, and it is not a booking.

All quotations are per person sharing, in US dollars, and exclude international flights. A single traveller pays more and a larger group pays less per head. See what it costs for where the money actually goes.

What moves the price: season, how many of you there are, whether you fly or drive the long sectors, and the standard of camp. A single traveller pays more; we will say how much before you ask twice.

Access and comfort

Each line is either confirmed by our own measurement or it is not. “On request” means we will plan and cost it and nobody has measured it yet.

Access provision on Tarangire Baobab & Elephant Kingdom
ProvisionStatusDetail
Hoist-fitted vehicleOn requestOn request. Tarangire is among the easier parks for this: short transfers and a gate under three hours from Arusha.
Step-free roomsOn requestSeveral camps here advertise them; none confirmed by us.
Short transfersConfirmedNothing on this journey is more than about three hours, which on an access journey matters more than the camp.
Night drivesPartialSeated throughout, which suits many travellers. The vehicle is open-sided and cold after dark.
Walking safariPartialIndividually assessed. Uneven ground.

We do not ask for a diagnosis — only for what you need. How we plan accessible journeys.

The detail

What is covered, what it involves on the ground, and the changes people most often ask for. Open whichever you need.

What is included, and what is not

Included

Private 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and a professional English-speaking driver-guide, for your party alone

Accommodation as described, on a full-board basis

All park, conservation and concession fees

Airport and airstrip transfers, met at the aircraft rather than at the kerb

Bottled drinking water in the vehicle

24-hour local support while you are in the country

One night drive, where the concession permits it

Walking safari with an armed ranger

Not included

Additional night drives

International flights, visas and travel insurance

Tips, premium drinks and personal expenses

Optional activities such as a balloon flight, unless listed above

Emergency medical evacuation cover — strongly recommended, and not something we currently provide

Practical detail
Practical detail for Tarangire Baobab & Elephant Kingdom
SeasonJune to October concentrates the game on the river. December to March the animals disperse widely and the park feels empty.
Night drivesOnly in the concessions outside the park boundary. Inside the national park they are not permitted, whatever anyone tells you.
Tsetse fliesPresent in the woodland sections. Avoid dark blue and black.
LengthThree days is short. It works because the transfer is short, which is not true of the Serengeti.
PriceNot set. Quoted on your dates and camp standard.
Ways to personalise this journey

The changes people actually ask for, with what each one does to the shape of the trip. Prices for these are quoted in your proposal, not here.

Add the craterTwo more days and Ngorongoro, which makes a proper five-day circuit.
A third Tarangire nightThe southern swamps become a comfortable day rather than a long one.
Bush dinner under the baobabsArranged with the camp, weather permitting.

This itinerary is a draft. It is written to real logistics but has not yet been checked by a guide who works this circuit, and no price here has been approved. Treat every figure as indicative until we confirm it in writing.

Questions about this journey

Is three days enough for a safari?

For Tarangire, and only because it is close. Three days in the Serengeti by road is two days of driving.

How many elephants will we see?

In the dry season, a great many — herds along the river through the day. In the green season, far fewer and more spread out.

Can we add this to a Kilimanjaro climb?

It is the commonest thing people do after a climb, and three gentle days is about right for how you will feel.

If this one is not quite it

Journeys that share a region or a style with this one, and the background reading for the places on the route.

Fly-in Serengeti & Crater Fly-In Express 4 days / 3 nights · Arusha · Seronera · Lake Manyara · Arusha Migration Southern Serengeti Calving Expedition 5 days / 4 nights · Ndutu · southern Serengeti short-grass plains Big Five Complete Big Five & Ngorongoro Crater Floor 4 days / 3 nights · Ngorongoro Conservation Area · Empakaai · the highlands

Destination guides

Ways to travel

Tell us what you have in mind.

One conversation with the person who would plan it, and an honest answer about whether we are the right company for the trip.

Plan your journey Or send a quick enquiry

Free, and with no obligation. A real planner replies within 24 business hours, East Africa Time. No payment is taken to enquire.