Ernest Hemingway came to East Africa in 1933 – in search of what he called the “true, wild Africa.” For three months he travelled with his wife Pauline Pfeiffer and the legendary white hunter Philip Percival, who had previously guided Theodore Roosevelt. They crossed the savannahs of Kenya and Tanganyika, hunted in the Serengeti, around Lake Manyara – and in the region that would later become Tarangire National Park.
This landscape – dry, rugged, impossibly vast – etched itself into Hemingway’s memory. In his book Green Hills of Africa, he described its elegance without embellishment. Later, he returned to the experience in his famous short stories The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. Tarangire was no stage for fiction. It was a place of clarity. A place that quieted the mind – and sharpened the senses. Today, thankfully, the only hunting done in Tarangire is with a camera. But the feeling Hemingway sought still lives on: in the silence. In the dust. In the gaze of an elephant.
A landscape that doesn’t try to impress – it simply stays
Tarangire doesn’t reveal its strength at first glance. There’s no iconic landmark, no drama on demand. Instead: vast plains, carved by the Tarangire River, which becomes a lifeline during the dry season. Elephant herds – as large as anywhere in East Africa – move through the land along ancient paths. Buffalo, giraffes, impalas, zebras, eland – they all follow the water. And above them: the baobabs – ancient, knotted, majestic. They hold water, shade and time. Some have stood for centuries. They have seen generations of animals. And of people.
Knowing where the lions lie
To truly experience Tarangire, you need patience. And knowledge. Lions don’t rest in trees here. They rest in the shade – often in the same places, year after year. Our guides don’t find those places on a map – they find them in the grass. The giraffe gazelle – the rare gerenuk – appears only where you’re not looking for it. And the birds – more than 500 species – tell their own, quiet story about the condition of this land. Tarangire is for those who understand nature. And for those who are ready to.
With Jackpot Safaris – in the footsteps of those who came before
We don’t just pass through Tarangire – we take you in. To the places where Hemingway sat. To where the elephants roam. To where a silent afternoon tells more than any pair of binoculars ever could. Our safari isn’t loud. It’s attentive. We don’t just show you animals – we reveal the connections. How the river system works. Why elephants choose old trees. Where lions go when the heat is at its peak. And when it’s time to turn off the engine and simply wait. Because Tarangire doesn’t want to be explained. It wants to be experienced – eye to eye, in the right moment, with respect.
If you want to see Africa with more than just your eyes – Tarangire is the place to begin.
And Jackpot Safaris is your guide into the soul of this land – led by Andrew Malalika, who grew up just beyond the horizon of Tarangire, at the edge of the Serengeti. Raised by his grandfather, he learned early to follow elephant tracks, listen to wind-blown grass – and respect the quiet places. This landscape is part of his story. Let it become part of yours.
If you have any questions or would like to explore Tarangire National Park on a customised safari, just drop us a line.