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About this place
Located just south of Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, the lesser-known Tarangire National Park gives cost-conscious travelers a great opportunity to see dozens of African animals on a budget (including the Big 5, if you're really lucky).
Africa is cheap, right? I mean, 1 U.S. dollar is worth ~2200 Tanzanian Shillings. Well, unfortunately for most travelers, safaris and other touristy attractions in Tanzania are priced with the wealthy Western tourist in mind. Because of this, you would be lucky to pay $300 per person for a day safari at neighboring Serengeti National Park or Ngorongoro Crater.
During my trip to Tanzania to film at a local orphanage, I had made up my mind that a safari was just too expensive. However, shopping around locally and getting connected with the right people put me in contact with a cheap safari agency that runs day trips from Arusha to Tarangire National Park for $100 per person, including lunch. Do some research and find the right agency for you. My group of 4 friends had a modified Land Cruiser all to ourselves and enjoyed a full day of driving to every edge of the park and viewing dozens of species of African wildlife!
The dry season (June to October) is the best time to view wildlife here. On my safari in April, there was still plenty of wildlife, and we saw elephants and water buffalo - 2 of the "African Big 5" game animals. You have the ability to see elephants, giraffe, hippos, buffalo, zebras, wildebeest, lions and then possibly leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs and hyenas.
As mentioned above, if you are trying to find the cheapest price for a safari, I definitely recommend shopping around for your safari locally in Arusha rather than buying one in advance online. Going in a group of 4-6 people will also cut down your per-person price.