Existing on the cusp of the mighty Serengeti and the verdant plains of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania, the Tarangire National Park remains something of a more off-the-beaten-track option for safari goers touring the wildlife circuit in this section of the Great Rift Valley. However, it certainly packs no less of a punch than its famous brothers to the north, with its lush, green and wild canopies of exotic baobabs, soaring termite mounds and booming resident population of African elephants, not to mention some of the best walking safari routes the continent over.

The wildlife action here centres largely on the meandering channels of the Tarangire River, which suck in massive populations of wildebeest, zebra and buffalo when the rest of the Tanzanian steppe dries up. With them come the ubiquitous predators: spotted leopards, speedy cheetahs, and—of course—lions, which can often be found sunning themselves on the boughs of the kigelia trees that pepper the park. Tarangire National Park tour guides also often recommend making an expedition to the waters of Lake Manyara nearby, which were eulogised by Ernest Hemingway as the prettiest in all of Africa!