Tom Powell traveled to Tarangire National Park (northern Tanzania), in the summer of 2010. He sent in his "snapshot impressions" of his first safari vacation in Africa. Here is what he experienced in one of Tanzania's premier wildlife destinations. Tarangire is famous for its huge elephant population and wonderful baobab. Just watch out for the tsetse flies!
Tarangire National Park
It was my first day on safari, and naturally I was excited.

Upon arrival at Tarangire, you are immediately faced with the sight of vast baobab trees which pepper the landscape as far as the eye can see. The sight of a huge elephant, somehow dwarfed by the sheer size of one of these majestic trees, is something which needs to be seen to be believed.

After some sightings of zebra, elephant and many birds in the morning, I settled down to have lunch at the top of cliff that overlooked the Tarangire River – patchy and muddy, but still the only permanent source of water here. From this great height, I could see silhouettes of different creatures in the distance – impossibly long legs here, large flapping ears there, clouds of dust rising into the air and the distant sound of hooves...I could take an educated guess at what I was looking at, but I knew I had to get down to the river to really appreciate the wildlife scene which was playing out before me.

With my guide, I descended into the valley where the muddy river was languidly winding, and was delighted and amazed to see a large herd of elephants enjoying a mud-bath in the midday sun.

It was both entertaining and warming to see the elder females taking care of a tiny baby, leading it to the water and trying to coax it out again as it rolled happily in the mud. Just down from the elephant mud-bath was a group of giraffe, front legs splayed, heads down, drinking enthusiastically from the brown water. And, up on a small escarpment, a huge group of zebra were wandering and grazing.

We were happily watching these amazing animals and enjoying the peace and quiet, when we spotted two zebra carcasses further down river. We drove to have a closer look, and it was very apparent these were fresh kills. It was then that was spotted two lionesses coming around the bend of the river bed – sleek, golden and extremely full! We gazed in amazement as these stunning creatures sought shade under a lone rock in the dust. Continuing further down the river, we saw a total of maybe seven lions – some walking slowly, some sleeping under a tree, some drinking at the water’s edge.

Read more about: Serengeti National Park l Tanzania's Top Attractions l More of Tom's Safari