Tsetse flies Tarangire National Park

Tsetse flies Tarangire National Park are one of the things to look out for while planning a safari tour to Tarangire National Park, anytime of the year. A head of your Tanzania safari tour to Tarangire National Park, you shall definitely come into contact with tsetse flies in Tarangire National Park. during your Tanzania safari planning process your tour consultant shall advise you on the various vaccinations that you should get done and on time before you embark on your Tarangire National Park safari tour in Tanzania. What you cannot prepare for however, are the tsetse flies in Tarangire National Park and all the other northern circuit national parks of Tanzania.

Tsetse flies do resemble regular houseflies, and are a species of biting insect native to Africa. Tsetse flies do give painful bites. Tsetse flies do cause sleeping sickness. The chances of infection from tsetse fly bites is very minimal. Sleeping sickness is usually found in local hunters and farmers who have faced repeated exposure to bites. Symptoms of sleeping sickness include fatigue, muscle aches, headaches and fever, which with time progress to psychiatric disorders, difficulty sleeping, seizures, coma and then death. With no cure or vaccine for sleeping sickness, it might seem alarming but note that African sleeping sickness are on a sharp decline with cases dropping to just 5% of the total infections in earlier years. Treatment for sleeping sickness is also being developed regularly, and can therefore be treated with time.

In Tanzania, and Tarangire National Park particularly, tsetse flies and African sleeping sickness are not as prevalent as is in western or central African countries. In Tanzania, tsetse flies can be found throughout the northern circuit parks of Tanzania especially in Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park and also the wooded areas of Serengeti National Park.

Tsetse flies usually seek out shelters in bushy parts during the hottest parts of the day. For this reason, you are advised to not go out for walking safaris during these hot hours when your presence awakens them and thus bite you.

How to avoid tsetse flies in Tarangire National Park

Just because there are tsetse flies in Tarangire National Park shouldn’t be reason to deter you from having your dream African safari experience in Tarangire National Park. Even though the tsetse fly bites are painful, chances of contracting sleeping sickness is critically low from tsetse flies in Tarangire National Park bites. To keep yourself from tsetse fly bites in Tarangire National Park, you may do the following;

·         Wear long sleeved shirts and pants to cover your already exposed skin, from tsetse fly bites.

·         Wear neutral colours while in the park. Tsetse flies are particularly attracted to black and blue. Be sure to keep away from these kinds of colours and rather opt for long sleeved shirts and trousers of neutral colours like khaki.

·         Do not walk through forest or bush cover especially during the hot hours of the day when the tsetse flies are in hiding there that you moving around them awakes them from their slumber.

·         Make use of insect repellent creams, even if they may not necessarily deter tsetse flies.

·         Also, opt to sleep in a mosquito net. Most lodges and camps in Tarangire National Park have mosquito nets provided to their guests.

Most lodges and camps have panels of black and blue fabric around the premises which they use to lure tsetse flies away from the camp or lodge since they are attracted to the bright colours.

Tsetse flies should not deter you from enjoying your Tanzania safari tour not only in Tarangire National Park but also other national parks of Tanzania like Serengeti National Park.

Tarangire National Park is one of the best Tanzania safari destinations to enjoy various African safari activities like game drives, walking safaris, and hot air balloon safaris, among so many others. Tarangire National Park is famous for the huge elephant herd, great towering baobab trees, and tree climbing lions which attract a number of tourists every other year. Tarangire National Park can be visited by taking even a Tarangire National Park day trip, but can also be visited for multiple days alone, or combined with other Tanzania safari destinations like Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park as well as the mighty Kilimanjaro Mountain which is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free standing mountain in the world. Take time to reach out to a reputable tour operator to help you curate an amazing and unforgettable Tanzania safari tour, including Tarangire National Park