Last Updated on February 12, 2024 by Travelationship
Exciting, Thrilling, and Unforgettable are just a few epic words to describe our 4-day camping safari with Materuni Tours. Our trip took place in mid-September during the height of the dry season. We had missed the great migration, but that made little difference in the number and types of animals we saw. Luck was on our side; we saw the Big-5 plus lots of others.
Choosing Materuni for Our Safari
When we first decided to visit Tanzania, we knew we wanted to hike part of Mt. Kilimanjaro and go on a camping safari. We tried to book with a company that would be able to provide us with both experiences. Our friend had used Materuni Tours earlier in the year for her Kili hike and safari. She raved about the fantastic service Materuni Tours provided. The company’s professionalism and quick and thorough replies surpassed our expectations.
We emailed Ambrose, Materuni Tours owner, an idea of what we were looking to do. He perfectly matched us with their 4-day camping safari through Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The trip included our tent, meals, round-trip transportation, and all the park entrance fees. We chose to rent our sleeping bags and pillows from Materuni for an additional USD 10 per day/each.
The Safari Adventure Begins
Our driver and guide, Mykoni, picked us up from our hotel in Moshi at 8:30 am. We packed up our gear and headed on our way. Our route was from Tarangire National Park to Serengeti National Park (via Ngorongoro) and back to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Transportation time (actual safari time not included) to/from Moshi and between the parks was roughly 18 hours over the four days. We spent 6-7 hours moving between Ngorongoro and Serengeti, where we saw many animals (even camels) as we headed to/from the different campsites. Our total time on safari (only looking for animals) was 5-7 hours per day. We felt we had more than enough time every day to see animals.
Elephants and Tarangire National Park
Each park had its personality and animal specialty per se. Tarangire National Park, known for its vast elephant population, was our first stop, and it did not disappoint. By the time we headed to camp for the night, we had seen 13 lions, some warthogs, a few dik-diks, and rock hyraxes. Birds of all varieties surrounded us at every turn, and we even stumbled on a considerable porcupine that was not too happy to see us. A silent highlight of the park was the varying landscapes, ranging from swamps to grasslands sprinkled with termite mounds and immense baobab trees.
Camping in Tarangire National Park
The camp setup was small and quiet (which we wish they had all been this small. The bathrooms had showers (warmish but not hot water) and both squat and sit toilets. The campsite was quite open, with very few trees, and as we learned throughout the night, the elephants, zebras, gazelles, and lions (yes, lions) all liked to frequent at night. During the night, we heard the elephants and zebras grazing and moving about, and at some point, in the wee hours of the morning, the guides heard lions very close. We didn’t see them, but several guides and cooks assured us they were there.
Finishing Out Tarangire National Park
After breakfast, we headed back into Tarangire for a few hours, where we saw more of the same animals, along with foxes and mongoose. As we were out in the park, Jimmy, our cook & camp specialist, prepared our camping & cooking supplies for packing to our next destination, Serengeti National Park.
Tarangire at a Glance:
Tarangire National Park: is 2850 sq km (1,096 sq miles) and is located 118 km (75 miles) southwest of Arusha, Tanzania.
When to Go: Year-round, but the dry season (June – September) for sheer numbers of animals is perfect.
Why Go: Tarangire has the second-highest concentration of wildlife of any Tanzanian national park (after Serengeti) and is reportedly the largest concentration of elephants globally. Not to mention the more than 700 resident lions are sure to provide thrills for any visitor. While there, simply marvel at the great stands of epic baobab trees.
Visit Tarangire National Park’s official website here, and get accommodation information here.
Visit Materuni Tours here for more information about booking your safari.
More Reading for Tanzania
- Tanzania Safari Part 2 – Serengeti National Park
- Tanzania Safari Part 3 – Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- Hiking Kilimanjaro Base Camp with Materuni Tours
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* Thank you to Materuni Tours for providing us with a discounted safari. As always, our opinions are ours – honest, not biased, and as we experienced.
What fun that must have been. I hope to follow in your footsteps someday.
Highly recommend going with Materuni!