Tarangire National Park

Tarangire is one of Africa's most underrated parks thanks to its proximity to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. It's a place where elephants dot the plains like cattle, and where lion roars and zebra barks fill the night, but here the wildlife tells only half the story.

Dominating the park's 2 850 sq km, Tarangire's great stands of epic baobabs should be reason enough to visit. There are also sun-blistered termite mounds in abundance, as well as grassy savannah plains and vast swamps. Cleaving the park in two is the Tarangire River, its meandering course and (in some places) steep banks providing a dry-season lure for animals and thus many stirring wildlife encounters for visitors. This truly is one of the country's most rewarding reserves.

Best known for its elephant herds and tree-climbing lions, Tarangire is home to all the classic African savannah species attracting huge numbers of elephant, buffalo, giraffe and many antelope plus a few unusual ones - such as the long-necked gerenuk - that you won't see in the Serengeti. It's home to all the big predators and with 550 species of bird on the tick list, it's a fabulous destination for bird watchers too.