Tarangire's tsetse flies are the worst on the Northern Circuit. Dress for them.

Yes, and in Tarangire the insect that defines the trip is the tsetse fly. Visitors rank it the Northern Circuit's worst tsetse park, and the flies bite by day on game drives. Mosquitoes take over at dusk, and the CDC recommends malaria medicine for the park, as for all of Tanzania below 5,900 feet.

Malaria: every camp is below the line

The CDC's Tanzania page gives the malaria areas as "All areas below 1,800 m (5,900 ft) elevation" and lists "Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine, tafenoquine." Tarangire lies well below that line. Tanzania's malaria program puts Manyara Region, which holds most of the park, in its "very low" category, and the CDC's advice still covers every camp in every month. See a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before departure with your whole route. Our Tanzania briefing covers the rest of the country.

Yellow fever vaccine is generally not recommended. Tanzania does require proof from travelers arriving from a risk country, which matters if you come from Kenya. The CDC's Level 2 Global Polio notice lists Tanzania, so be up to date on polio vaccine.

Tsetse: what draws them, and where

In a survey inside the park, 94.6% of tsetse were Glossina swynnertoni, the species that lands most on blue. In Serengeti and Mara trials published in 2013, blue or turquoise targets caught up to 19 times more of them than traps did, which is why guides tell visitors to leave blue and black at home. Tsetse bite by day, follow moving vehicles and get through thin fabric.

Trapping next to the park in 2014–2015 found the most tsetse where acacia woodland meets grassland and the fewest in riverine woodland. That puts the worst of them on the drives between river viewpoints and in wooded country. Studies and posters disagree on the worst months. Close the windows when flies swarm the vehicle and ask your guide to skip known tsetse pockets.

Sleeping sickness: rare, but documented here

The CDC lists African sleeping sickness, spread by tsetse, for Tanzania. In 2001, nine European and South African travelers got it after Tanzanian park visits, and one died. Three of their itineraries included Tarangire, two of them Tarangire alone. A later survey in and around the park found parasites of the T. brucei type in 3.2% of 766 tsetse and no infections in 509 people from nearby villages, and its authors judged transmission to people low.

WHO's register of cases diagnosed outside endemic countries traces seven traveler infections to Tanzania in 2011–2020, five to the Serengeti, one to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and one to Mkomazi, and none to Tarangire. Most tsetse bites just hurt and swell. In the weeks after the trip, a fever or a painful, swollen sore at a bite site means an urgent doctor visit, and you ask about sleeping sickness as well as malaria.

Camp evenings

Malaria mosquitoes bite from dusk to dawn, so the routine changes at sundowners. Put repellent on exposed skin, wear long sleeves for dinner and sleep under the net. After walks, check for ticks; the CDC lists African tick-bite fever.

Where you're going

Heading on to the crater and the Serengeti? See our Ngorongoro and Serengeti briefings.

What travelers report

Paraphrased from TripAdvisor review titles and a forum thread and linked so you can read them in full. None carries a year, and the season and the sector you drive change the picture.

• Northern Circuit parks (Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Arusha NP)

  Posters ranked parks by tsetse: Tarangire was the most consistent hotspot with many pockets in bushy areas, the Serengeti was patchy (few at Seronera, more around Lobo and Kusini), and Ngorongoro Crater and Arusha National Park had few or none. They disagreed on which season is worst and advised avoiding dark blue and black clothing. TripAdvisor ↗

• Oliver's Camp, Tarangire

  A guest titled their review 'Perfect except for the tsetse flies'. TripAdvisor ↗

• Oliver's Camp fly-camp, Tarangire

  A reviewer titled their stay 'Tsetse flies and heat - but fly-camp wonderful'. TripAdvisor ↗

• Swala Camp, Tarangire

  A guest titled their review 'Wonderful, except for the tse-tse flies...'. TripAdvisor ↗

• Tarangire National Park

  A visitor's review of the park is titled 'Tse Tse flies among the beautiful sights'. TripAdvisor ↗

One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit and a malaria test, and you tell the doctor you were in Tarangire and whether tsetse bit you. With malaria in the picture, the rule holds for a full year.

Traveler questions