| Page Views: 44 Last Visit to Tanguieta: March, 2009 | Gateway to the Pendjari National Park by janiebaxter - last update: May 15, 2009 |
Pendjari, A UNESCO Biosphere Site | Elephants in Pendjari Park |
Pendjari National Park in the far North West of Benin borders Burkina Faso to the North and National Park du W to the East, which then extends into Niger.
It is approx 80km from Natitingou. Tanguieta is the gateway village to the Pendjari National Park, from the Benin side. The other entrance to the park is Porga which forms the border with Burkina Faso. We drove in through Tanguieta and out through Porga as we were going to Burkina Faso next.
The park, which was created in 1961 and made a UNESCO world biosphere site in 1986, is named after the Pendjari River which flows to the Atlantic through Togo. It covers a total area of 2750 sq km and the border areas next to Porga and Tanguieta are still reserved for hunting but this is completely separate from the game viewing area so causes no disturbance. You can see a large variety of animals and birds in Pendjari, except for Giraffes and Zebras. |
| Heron Flying over Mare Bali, Pendjari |
|  | The 7 Mares and the Terrain One of the most interesting features of the park are the “Mares” or waterholes which are completely natural and much larger than waterholes I have seen anywhere else – more like small lakes. There are 7 of them in the park and the animals congregate around them so they are excellent places for animal and bird viewing. Some of them have hides or covered viewing platforms with seats. Mare Bali is in the centre of the park and is the biggest.
This area is not the dry Savannah that you get in Southern and Eastern Africa. It is actually very wet with a lot of vegetation so the game viewing is a little more difficult. However, the Mares and the many roads allow good views of the animals. Our visit was mid March which is at the end of the dry season which starts in December. The park is closed from the end of April until the beginning of December as the roads get flooded by the rains.
You need a 4WD vehicle to visit the park and on arrival can get a guide at the ranger station, however ours didn’t speak any English which I think is the norm. |
Tanougou Waterfall Tanougou Waterfall is close to the entrance of Pendjari Park and can be visited on the way.
For more info and details of the rest of the places I visited in Benin visit my Benin page | | |
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| In A Nutshell: | "Pendjari Park is the main reason to visit" |
janiebaxter's Tanguieta Travel Tips
 Comments for janiebaxter about Tanguieta | | | | |
lynnehamman Thu May 21, 2009 15:24 UTC
Janie- how wonderful that you were able to see such a wide selection of animals here.It looks like a good alternative to the usual game parks. Waterfall picture is lovely. |
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