Elephants on the Loose

Tarangire National Park

Our Lodge or Tent City this evening was Mpingo Ridge. Yes, I said tents.

This is a wonderful time to be in Tarangire, which hosts a migration of elephants and other mammals as the only reliable source of water in this vast area.  Tarangire has approximately 3,500 resident elephants, and during the dry season months of June, July, Aug, Sep, and Oct, another 3,000 migratory elephants move into the park for water in the Tarangire River and surrounding wetlands. Elephants come from as far away as the Serengeti and Amboseli in Kenya based on the matriarch’s knowledge of ancient migratory routes. Even the hippos from nearby Lake Manyara often migrate into the Tarangire NP for the Silale and Gursi Swamps or wetlands. We enjoyed a full game drive on our return to the lodge for a hot lunch and an afternoon game drive when the sun was more favorable for photography, and the cooler afternoon sparked more activity from the big cats. We also enjoyed a night drive on this evening. And like a movie quote, “never get out of the boat” - well, never get out of the Land Cruiser here.

Notice in this image how the mother elephants protect the little ones. They certainly protect them, and if you get too close, they are happy to let you know. The African elephant is the world's largest land animal, and seeing one in its natural habitat is simply thrilling. In the Serengeti, these grey giants roam the plains and disappear into the woodlands. Female elephants live in close-knit clans, and family bonds can last for 50 years.