Sanskrit

Sanskrit is one of the oldest recognised languages that have existed in India for over seven thousand years. The Sanskrit language has been in use longer than any other language in the world. Even Greek and Latin are not used in their traditional context any more as Sanskrit is done. Sanskrit is also the root of a large number of languages including the primary languages of Europe, Iran and the Middle East. Sanskrit root words could be found in places as far as Hawaii. Sanskrit and its roots can be traced to the Indo-Iranian sub family of the Indo-European languages. Sanskrit came to India from the northwest and was brought in by the Mesopotamians and the Aryan civilisations. It was exported out of India by way of returning people to influence the other Indo-European languages. Whatever its origin, the language has flourished in India and is recognised as a principal official language. It has been the language that has been used by the elite class of people in India and in classic literature. Knowledge of Sanskrit through the ages exemplified a high intellectual and social status of a person in society in India. Sanskrit is one of India’s twenty two official languages and is regularly taught in schools. It is broadcast over All India Radio stations and is used mostly in religious and scholarly context. The word `Sanskrit’ means `Wholly Cultured’ and is considered one of the most sophisticated languages of the world. However, there have been no linguistic developments in Sanskrit, leading many linguists to feel that it may be turning into a dead language. It is, nevertheless, recognised as one of the great original cultural languages in the world. Sanskrit may be termed as a classical language of India. It is also a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Its position in South Asia is similar to that of Greek and Latin in Europe. It is popular among scholars in and outside of India. Without a proper understanding of the Sanskrit culture, knowledge of India and its traditions would be incomplete. Sanskrit is known for its beauty and clarity. It is also the most systematic language in the world. Much contribution has been made from all parts of the country for the growth of Sanskrit language. Pre-Classical and Classical Sanskrit There are two ages of Sanskrit. There is pre-classical or Vedic Sanskrit and the Classical or the Paninian Sanskrit. Vedic Sanskrit is the language used in the Vedas. There is a large compilation of Hindu philosophical and sacred texts. The Vedas were composed around 4, 500 BC. During these ages, Sanskrit did not have a written script. Sanskrit is the original language of the Vedas which were transmitted from the one who recited to the listener of mantras and shlokas. The Vedas were memorised and transferred orally from the guru (teacher) to the shishya (student). People had to understand the six Vedangas to study the Vedas. The Vedas cannot be studied without the six Vedangas. The first three are Shiksha (understanding of the letters and phonetics), Vyakarna (grammar) and Niruktam (root words and etymology). The latter three are Chandas (metrical system), Kalpa (rituals) and Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology). Shiksha deals with the spoken aspect of the language. It shows how to pronounce the letters of the aksharas or the alphabet. Shiksha divides the letter into three classes. They are swaras, vyanjanas and oushmanas. The letters differ from each other in their meanings depending on the effort and the duration of time for which they are used. Vyakarna is the heart of grammar and it describes meaningful word formations and sounds. Niruktam describes elementary root words that are used in the Vedas. Classification of words into groups of synonyms is an example. There are over hundred synonyms for just the word `water’ as given in Niruktam. The fourth Vedanga, Chandas, describes the formation of sentences in metrical form. Sanskrit offers about twenty Vedic metres and many more conventional metres unlike English that uses four basic metres. The remaining Vedangas, Kalpa and Jyotisha are connected with rituals and space and time. The classical Sanskrit followed the grammar rules that were set down by the esteemed ancient grammarian, Panini. These came about in the fifth century before Christ. Panini wrote a grammar treatise called `Astadhyayi’ (meaning Eight Sections). It was made up of almost four thousand sutras. The other ancient grammarians, Katyayana and Patajali, composed commentaries later on the Astadhyayi and added more grammar rules in their works that were Vartikas and the Mahabhashya. These three grammar works are collectively known as `Trimuni Vyakarana’. Starting from the Rigveda, which is the earliest Vedic text, to the later three Vedas that were the Samaveda, the Yajurveda and Atharvaveda right up to the Brahmanas and the Upanishads, the Vedic period was one of oral tradition. The three major Hindu philosophic concepts that are formulated in Sanskrit are Dvaita by Madhavacharya, Advaita by Shankaracharya and Vishishtadvaita by Ramanujacharya. Script Sanskrit began to be written down in the Classical Age around 400 BC. At various periods, many regional language scripts like Brahmi, Kharoshti, Gupta, Sharada, Devanagari, Bengali, Oriya, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam were used for writing Sanskrit. Mostly the Brahmi and the Devanagari were used. Currently, the Devanagari script is being used to write Sanskrit. This is a phonetic script like most other Indian scripts. Linguists feel that the structure of the Sanskrit language is near perfect. There are forty nine sounds in the Sanskrit script that are formed in five separate areas of our mouth. The letters are arranged scientifically so that the simple vowels come first, then the diphthongs and consonants in uniform groups depending on their point of pronunciation. All this makes for perfect phonetic accuracy. Each Sanskrit alphabet has a precise sound in every word. Every word in Sanskrit is derived from a root. Prefixes and suffixes are added to a root to create words. The grammar, the form and the word meanings are highly developed. Sanskrit is also known `Samskritam’. The name means complete and perfect. `Sams’ means entirely or wholly. `Kritam’ means created. When Sanskrit is used in the scriptures, the sound vibrations of each letter are created to have an effect on a person’s conscience. Sanskrit mantras are made with a combination of sound vibrations. When these mantras are recited, they have a particular effect on the mind and the psyche of a person. Sanskrit script has retained its purity. The structure and vocabulary have remained unadulterated over thousands of years of existence. Grammar Sanskrit’s grammar is regulated and is exact. Sage Panini’s Sanskrit grammar called `Astadhyayi’ was written over two thousand five hundred years ago. It gives us the details of how the language is structured and forms the basis for all modern grammar. Sanskrit has a very rich grammatical structure and a huge vocabulary. There are fifty one aksharas or letters. The aksharas retain their sound as an aspect of non destruction in the phonetic characteristics of the language. The aksharas retain their individual meanings in composed words. The basic unit is a word root. Words are derivatives. All roots are verbs. There is no real concept of proper nouns. All words are complete verbs and they do not depend on adjacent words for their meaning. It is the words in the sentence that will matter and not their order. These are the main reasons why Sanskrit is such a structured language. Linguists describe Sanskrit’s grammar as entirely context-free. Non-terminals can be rewritten without any regard to the context in which they occur. This structure was described in four thousand sutras by Panini. He is considered to be the father not only of Sanskrit grammar but also of computing machines. Literature As Sanskrit is the language of the Vedic culture, it has brought a treasure of literature and philosophy with it. The outstanding Puranas and the hundred and eight Upanishads are the essence of Vedic philosophy. Sanskrit literature has been around for more than two thousand years. Sanskrit language has a unique structure which is perfect. Many scholars have contributed to Sanskrit literature for thousands of years. Among the famous masterworks of Sanskrit literature are Ramayana written by Valmiki and the Mahabharata written by Vyasa. Mahabharata is one of the prime scriptures and is one of the longest literary epics in the world with over hundred thousand verses. It contains the famous Bhagavad Gita. Other important works are the Panchatantra written by Visnu Sharma, Arthashastra by Chanakya, poems and plays by the great Kalidasa and Surdasa, the Puranas and the Upanishads. There are treatises that are also available on astronomy, astrology and science. One of the oldest literatures in the world, the Vedas and the Puranas are still available in the same form that they have been written in at the beginning. There are many scholars who can interpret them today. Such interpretation comes not only by studying the ancient traditions but also through a steady process of assimilating knowledge from various disciplines by means of Sanskrit. Sanskrit and the Philosophy of Science Today, Sanskrit can be as modern as any other language. Its grammar is precise and well defined. Many academicians feel that it is the best language for use with computers due to its context-free grammar. The vocabulary of Sanskrit is taken from root syllables and is ideal for labelling new scientific and technological terms. Scientific principles have always been hidden in the verses of the Vedas and the Upanishads. The concepts and the principles that are found in current day astronomy and mathematics were all hidden in the compositions and treatises of many ancient Sanskrit scholars. The precise structure of Sanskrit offers a lot in the area of computational linguistics research. It is unique on account of it being the only known language that has a built-in scheme for pronunciation and grammar. Sanskrit is full of philosophy and theology related issues. There are many words within Sanskrit that convey different meanings of a concept that allows only one interpretation when studied with other languages. The language, therefore, has the ability to offer links between concepts using only the words.

It is interesting to know that India has been able to produce many talented billiards players who have captivated the world audiences with their genius and artistry despite billiards not being one of the most popular games in the country. Three names that come to mind are Michael Ferreira, Wilson Jones and Geet Sethi. Michael Ferreira was born in Bombay on 1st October 1938. He studied in St. Joseph’s School at Darjeeling. He became interested in billiards at Darjeeling. He went to college at St. Xavier’s in Mumbai. He later studied law at the Government Law College in Mumbai. He is a lawyer by profession. Michael Ferreira started playing billiards in 1954 at the age of sixteen. Wilson Jones was the first player of billiards who represented India at an international level. Michael Ferreira went one step beyond him by not only representing India but making his presence felt for a long time to come. He won the World Amateur Billiards Championship four times. For the first time in 1960, he participated in the Indian National Billiards Championship. In 1964, he represented India in the World Amateur Billiards Championship at Christchurch in New Zealand where he went up to the semi finals and lost narrowly to Wilson Jones. He had to wait for thirteen years. Perseverance paid dividends as in 1977; he won his first World Championship Title at Melbourne. He followed it up with another title the next year. In 1978, he became the first amateur to break the barrier of a thousand points in the National Billiards Championship and created a World Record by scoring 1,149 points. Michael Ferreira earned the Shiv Chhatrapati Award in 1971, the Arjuna Award in 1973 and the Dronacharya Award in 2001 for his coaching achievement in billiards and snooker. The difference between billiards and snooker is that billiards is played with white, red and yellow balls. The white and yellow are the cue balls and the objective is to score set points. Snooker is played with fifteen red, six coloured balls of various colours and one cue ball. The player has to pot a red ball first, then a coloured one and again a red and so on. Michael Ferreira is known as the `Bombay Tiger’ and a rebel with a cause. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1981 when he won his Second World Amateur Title but he refused to accept the award because he felt that people connected with the sport of cricket and hockey were heavily favoured, hinting particularly at Sunil Manohar Gavaskar getting the Padma Bhushan that year. He ultimately got the Padma Bhushan Award in 1983 when he won his Third World Championship Title. He is known as a true rebel who has always fought for equal opportunities like facilities and encouragement to be given to other sports and games apart from cricket and hockey in the country. Michael Ferreira has achieved a lot in his life and he is currently involved with a Company called QNet that believes in helping people. He is working with their marketing operations under the team label of `Faith’. He is helping others gain their financial freedom. His achievements at the national and the international levels have been instrumental to give impetus to the game of billiards in India. He has been a role model for young, aspiring billiards players in the country including Geet Sethi who has also kept India’s head high in international competitions by winning three Amateur and five Professional World Championship Titles. Michael Ferreira loves big cars, good food and wine. His favourite pastime is reading, listening to Western Classical Music and writing.

Robotic vacuum cleaners are made to make your life easier and simpler by giving you a helping hand with your house work when you have busy schedules throughout the week. They have many unique features that make them ideal helpers in the maintenance of clean floors. They will maintain your floors in a wonderful way and you will not even miss your uprights vacuums. There are two good brands and people always weigh Roomba vs. Bobsweep when they go out to choose their first robot vacuum. The important thing to remember is the type of flooring. Some cleaners struggle on carpeting which is tall and others have height limitations but not Roomba or Bobsweep. Things to consider when buying Robot Vacuum Cleaners When there are pets in the house, people tend to consider machines that have anti-tangle brushes that are created for the removal of pet hair which clings. Some people may have dust allergies and they try to look for cleaners with HEPA filters. These filters are for high efficiency particulate absorption. There are various criteria that you may look for when you are hunting for robotic vacuums. The first major factor is their performance. The time it takes to clean is an important concern when you want to make a purchase decision. The top of the line cleaners will have operation times of a couple of hours. The more passes a cleaner will make over a spot, the more thorough the cleaning process will be. The Performance of a Roomba Cleaner Many robotic cleaners provide different kinds of cleaning patterns. Roomba reviews indicate that they are equipped with more than five patterns that include random, back and forth and spiral movements. They will also have sensors which are able to plot out a room and keep in their memory where they have already gone, making sure that they do not miss out any spot in the room. A Roomba can make multiple passes for cleaning. It has a remote control sensor facility for people who have difficulty bending or lifting. It also has extra cleaning brushes which are located on its sides apart from the main cleaner brush. These extra brushes pick up the dust from places along walls or corners which are hard to reach. Comparing Bobsweep with Roomba Bobsweep is considered as the biggest competitor to Roomba. There are many similarities between both when you compare Bobsweep vs. Roomba. Both these cleaners can help you clean even the gutters, the pool and they can mop or scrub your room floors. Both provide compelling solutions as ideal cleaners for your house. They have schedules which are programmable. They have HEPA filters, dirt detectors and they return to the dock automatically. Another essential feature in both these brands is the one-year warranty. The Dual Filters of Roomba 790 The sweeping powers of Roomba vs. Bobsweep attract some people but the opinion is divided between both these brands. Few people find the overall value of Bobsweep to be attractive. In any case, both the machines perform admirably in your house while helping you save that precious time. The iRobot Roomba model 790 has a longer run time and a remote control as you will find in this comparison at http://www.viewpoints.com/expert-reviews/2014/01/23/bobsweep-vs-roomba-battle-robots/. You will value the importance of a clean house if anyone suffers from dust allergy. Pet hair and dust can trigger asthma or respiratory problems. The Roomba model also provides a dual HEPA filter to offer twice the power of filtration when compared with other cleaners. Model 790 filters are known to even capture the small particles that can damage lungs.

Understanding Chiropractic Therapy and its Benefits

Chiropractors are mostly approached by people for back pain treatment. The patients are first evaluated for their individual spinal problems to determine a course of treatment. Each treatment schedule is worked out as per the individual needs of a patient. Treatment could be required for a herniated disc, back pain, pregnancies, pediatrics, nervous system or athletic injuries. Chiropractors adopt different strategies of treatment. Some are of an opinion that spinal adjustment is all the treatment that a body needs to heal itself while others focus on the latent pain relieving techniques by coaching the patients on proper ergonomics both at work and at home. Many people are familiar with the chiropractic therapy and its benefits. Chiropractors have served as a good alternative to orthopedic surgeons. Chiropractic therapy believes in a holistic approach towards health care. It lays stress on the well being and good mental health of a person. The theory behind chiropractic care is that there are numerous factors that affect your health in the form of heredity, type of exercises done from childhood, environmental surroundings, dietary habits and methods of relaxation. A chiropractor at the Wellness Center provides non surgical, natural and drugless treatment with total reliance on the body’s recuperative ability. A good chiropractor will always recommend changes in the lifestyle of people suffering with chronic back pain. He or she will pay attention and try to influence your sleeping, exercising, working and eating habits. Chiropractors follow a standard routine like the other medical practitioners while gathering the information that they need on their patients for diagnosis and course of treatment. They take the medical history of a patient and conduct physical, neurological and orthopedic checks. They depend on X-rays and other diagnostic images. They use only their hands to manipulate and mobilize your spine. A very important part of the chiropractic treatment is that it teaches you to take care of your mind as well as your body.

Slowing Down the Ticking of Biological Clocks in Women

Women are obsessed with the fear of aging. They dread to lose their youth and try their utmost to preserve the freshness in their skin texture. Another fear women have is about marrying late in life and giving birth at that age. Obesity is of special concern as it can increase complications for the mother and child. There are considerable risks, as per the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, related with obesity and pregnancy. The chances of requiring a caesarian delivery are high when a woman is obese. The fear of giving birth late could possibly be overcome by the use of stem cells technologies. It has been learnt through studies from the Biology Department of Harvard University that a woman could carry the egg stem cells in her ovaries right up to late adulthood. This brings out possibilities of the age being extended at which a woman can give birth. Stem cell technologies could now be used to rejuvenate an older woman’s eggs. The embryonic stem cells can give hope for regenerative medicine in which tissues can be repaired or even replaced. New fertility treatments from stem cell technologies will erase the biological clock fear in women and also slow down the ticking of that clock. Couples can even start thinking in terms of select babies then. In perhaps four decades from now, couples can go through tube fertilization to select the characteristics of their new born. Experts in the field of fertility feel that many women who do not have regenerative eggs of their own on account of their age, a medical condition or due to treatment of cancerous cells can now be helped by such technology. This can be a very big step that can be taken in the study of reproductive technologies in the generations to come.

Ngorongoro Crater Safaris

Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) has been declared as a UNESCO site of world heritage thirty nine years ago. The Northern Safari Circuit in Tanzania includes a safari to the Ngorongoro Crater. It is hailed as a beautiful and natural safari site for experiencing wildlife. It is also marked as a unique place for tourists to interact with the Masai tribe. The Ngorongoro Crater came into being when there was a giant volcano explosion thousands of years ago. The volcanic caldera’s cone collapsed inwards and brought about this exceptional safari park in Tanzania. Many visitors to this place consider it as one of the best safari destinations that are on offer in Africa. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a park which allows habitation of humans within the protected area perimeter of wildlife present here. This Crater Park shares its boundary with the Serengeti National Park and visitors to that park have to drive through this Conservation Area to reach Serengeti. Tourists on safari to the Ngorongoro Crater prefer to stay in hotels on the rim of the park in order to gain access to stunning views of the Park. Some tourists like to stay in Karatu which is a little away from this crater. The reason why they go here is to avoid crowds and accommodation is cheaper as a result of intimate and smaller lodges that provide safari activities like mountain biking and walking tours. Another famous place is the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge but its rates are very expensive, stretching to almost $3,000 per night. It is the best safari for visitors who want to experience the Big Five. You will come across a large population of black rhinoceros and will also see some of the largest tusker elephants in the world at this place. They are the prize attraction in the wildlife on offer here. The crater is home also to leopards, lions, wildebeest, hyenas, buffaloes and zebras. Other wildlife that can be seen here includes sighting of cheetahs, serval cats, jackals, Grant’s gazelles, flamingos and foxes with ears like bats. There are about four hundred species of birds that could be spotted in this Conservation Area. As the wildlife tends to stay all the year round in this crater area, any time of the year is a good time for visiting the place. Lake Magadi helps in making the water levels high in the Crater’s centre and this allows for a big concentration of flamingos. Safari Facts The Ngorongoro Crater offers a breathtaking setting for viewing the Big Five in Africa. This Crater is considered as an amazing natural wonder by the visitors. People like to come here for an overnight stay and some of them stay for a couple of nights. They move on to the Serengeti National Park from here. Depending upon the size of the touring party, it is better to drive to this place from Arusha. It is cheaper to share a four-wheel drive along with a guide and you can be picked up from Kilimanjaro Airport as soon as you land there. It is better to arrive at the gates early enough so that you can avoid the crowds. Safari activities here are restricted to game driving. There are many picnic spots in this area. You can alight from your vehicles only in these limited areas. In the vast Ngorongoro Conservation Area, visitors who have taken the safari tours can expect trekking, walking, excursions to the Olduvai Gorge and visit to the Masai tribal villages. During the game drives, you can expect to see elephants, lions, giraffes, black rhinos and wildebeest against a stunning backdrop of the Crater wall that reaches up to six hundred metres. You can see the Big Five in one day alone. People love to come to the Ngorongoro Crater to experience the dense wildlife concentration in Tanzania with a unique volcanic landscape on offer. Budget safaris to the Ngorongoro Crater allow tourists to reduce their expenses. These safaris offer affordability and ease of access to the national parks. Accommodation, meals and entrance fees to the parks are included in the safari package rates.

Le Parc National du Serengeti Safaris

The Serengeti National Park covers the Simiyu and the Mara ecosystem regions in Tanzania. The Park has become famous for the sights it offers involving the migration of over a million wildebeest and about a quarter of a million zebras. The park is also well known for its honey badgers and Nile crocodiles. It was given its name by the Masai tribe to describe the place in their tribal language idiom, meaning “a place where the land runs on, forever.” This is the oldest national park in Tanzania and has remained an icon of the tourism industry in this country. It has always provided a major attraction to the tourists taking the Northern Safari Circuit which encompasses Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Arusha National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Serengeti National Park covers more than fourteen thousand square kilometres of savanna, woodlands, grassland plains and riverside forest. It is located in the northwestern part of Tanzania. It has the Kenyan border to its north and it is continuous here with the Masai Mara National Reserve. To its southeast, you will find the Ngorongoro Conservation Area; to its southwest, you will find the Maswa Game Reserve; to its west are the Grumeti and the Ikorongo Game Reserves; in the northeast, you will find the Loliondo Game Control Area. These places are all part of the larger ecosystem of Serengeti. Fauna and Wildlife The Serengeti Park is divided into three separate regions - • Serengeti Plains – This area includes grassland with almost no trees and this is the defining topographical characteristic of this division. This is where you will find gigantic herds of wildebeest breeding from December for a period of six months. • The Western Corridor - This region is defined by black clay soil which covers the savannah. Grumeti River and its forests have become home to the patas monkeys, hippopotamus, Nile crocodiles and martial eagles. Huge herds of wildebeest can also be found on its main highway. • Northern Serengeti – This landscape offers hills and open woodlands, ranging from the Mara River on its Kenyan border to Seronera in its south. The prominent wildlife at Serengeti National Park offers • You will find the largest population of lions in the entire continent of Africa in this Park. This is because of the abundance of prey species in this region. More than three thousand lions could be found, living in this ecosystem. • Leopards – These are considered reclusive predators and are distributed densely in the Seronera region. You will find over a thousand leopards in this region. • Bush Elephants – Despite the dangers of poaching, visitors can come across more than five thousand bush elephants in this region and they are densely distributed in the park’s northern region. • Visitors taking the safaris will also come across Eastern Black Rhinoceros and the African Buffalo that make up the Big Five in Africa. • Serengeti National Park is also of great interest to safari seekers who maintain an ornithological interest. This park is home to more than five hundred species of birds and that includes Secretary birds, Masai ostriches, helmeted guinea fowls, kori bustards, and crowned cranes; storks with yellow bills, lesser flamingos, lovebirds and several kinds of vultures. Safari Facts Safari packages to Serengeti National Park feature game drive for experiencing wildlife, walking safaris, hot air balloon safaris, picnicking, lodging, camping, cultural tourism through visiting neighbouring villages; Ngorongoro Crater, Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano, Olduvai Gorge and those famous flamingos at Lake Natron. Game drive seekers will come across over two hundred thousand zebras in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem plains along with Grant’s gazelles, Coke’s hartebeest, waterbucks, Masai giraffes, warthogs, impalas and hippos. You will also come across rare species of antelopes in this park and they include klipspringers, elands, bushbucks, roan antelopes, fringe-eared oryx, lesser kudus and dik-diks. Game driving is still the main safari activity in Serengeti National Park. Night safaris are not allowed inside this park but there are various lodges in the reserve, adjacent to Serengeti where night driving is permitted for safari seekers. The notable among such alternatives are Grumeti and Loliondo Reserves. You will not come across boating or canoeing safaris here as in Lake Manyara National Park. Walking tours are very much possible outside this park and some camps in the northern side of this park permit walking tours within their boundaries. Majority of areas in the park do not allow guided walk tours because of the prevalence of wildlife. Package rates include game drives, fees for guide and driver, four-wheel drive vehicle, guided walking tours, meals, soft drinks and mineral water bottles.

Le Parc National du Tarangire Du Nord de la Tanzanie

Tarangire National Park is in the Manyara region and is the sixth largest among all parks in Tanzania. It got its name from Tarangire River because this river crosses through the park. It is the main source, for all the wild animals in this park, of fresh water. The whole Tarangire ecosystem thrives on account of this river during the dry season of the year. This park and its ecosystem are well known for the migration of zebras and wildebeest into it from long distances. Hundreds of other animals also concentrate in this park from all surrounding calving and wet season dispersal areas. It is situated between the Great Rift Valley Lakes to its west and north and the Masai Steppe meadows to its southeast. Tarangire National Park occupies the region, covering two thousand six hundred square kilometres. The Tarangire River takes up most of its northern part. The river flows upwards through all cut ditches, leaving the park corner in the northwest region and falling into Lake Burungi. There are several wide swamps, as a result and they dry up into greener plains in the south when the dry season approaches. Flora and Fauna found in Tarangire National Park The park has gained its recognition because of the high density of baobab trees and its elephant population. Visitors that take safaris to this park prefer the dry season between June and November for the reason of spotting huge herds of elephants, zebras, cape buffaloes and wildebeest. Other animals that can be found in this park are giraffes, impalas, waterbucks, dik-diks, Grant’s gazelles, elands, banded mongooses, Vervet monkeys and olive baboons. You can also see a fair number of leopards, lions, caracals, cheetahs, African wild dogs and honey badgers. The oldest known elephant that has given birth to twins in Africa is found in this park. The park has become famous for its elephants and during dry season, you can view herds of over three hundred elephants as they love to dig in the Tarangire River’s dry bed. They are keen on exploring underground streams. The landscape here is made up mostly of granite ridges, swamps and river valleys. You will find a mix of Acacia woodland in its vegetation along with Baobab trees and grassland which is seasonally flooded. Tarangire National Park is home to over five hundred species of birds and has become a haven for keen bird watchers. The park is also known for huge termite mounds which dot its landscape. Abandoned mounds have become homes for dwarf mongooses. Visitors have also been able to spot white giraffes here and their complexion is a result of leucism. The Park management has started many wildlife research projects such as the Tarangire Elephant Project, the Tarangire Lion Project and Masai Giraffe Conservation Demography Project. For more than thirteen years now, this protected region has been recognised as a lion conservation unit. Safari Facts Safari packages usually combine itineraries including Tarangire National Park tours with that of Lake Manyara, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. This is also known as the Northern Circuit Package. This is because these three reserves are in close proximity to each other. It allows the tourists and visitors to drive to all parts of this circuit. These safari packages allow tourists to get an excellent chance to see the large herds of elephants in these reserves along with the unique Baobab trees. The vegetation and landscapes on offer here are amazingly diverse with a blend that cannot be found anywhere else in Africa. During these safaris, walking tours are provided at various camps and this allows visitors to experience something unique in comparison with other game drives in this continent. These game drives and guided walking tours offer cultural visits to all neighbouring villages in order to get a taste of Tanzanian village life. The Tarangire National Park also houses two very rare game species. They are the greater Kudu and the Oryx with fringe ears. Another sight unique to this park is pythons, lions and leopards climbing trees. The game available here is not used to safari vehicles and this allows tourists to get a unique experience to see the animals in a real wild habitat. Safari seekers on Full Game Package to Tarangire National Park get to enjoy game viewing drives in four wheel drive open-topped vehicles. They will relish the experience of watching big herds of antelopes of all types such as lesser Kudu, elands, impalas and Kongoni along with zebras, gazelles, buffaloes, wildebeest, elephants and leopards. The safari packages include these game drives, fees for guides and drivers, guided walking tours, lunch, soft drinks and mineral water bottles.