Arusha National Park
Activities
Forty-five minutes from the centre of Arusha and consistently overlooked, which is exactly why it is worth a day of your time.
The park sits on the slopes of Mount Meru and covers a surprising range of terrain for its size: montane forest, open grassland, the Momella Lakes, and the Ngurdoto Crater, a smaller caldera often called “Little Ngorongoro” by locals. The views across to Kilimanjaro on a clear morning are as good as any in Tanzania.
What sets Arusha National Park apart from every other park on the northern circuit is the walking safari. Most parks in Tanzania do not permit walking in the wildlife areas. Here you can leave the vehicle and move through the landscape on foot with an armed ranger. The experience of being at ground level, reading tracks, moving quietly through the bush and encountering giraffe or buffalo without the buffer of a vehicle around you, changes how you understand the environment entirely. It is not dangerous if handled properly, and we handle it properly.
The Momella Lakes support large numbers of waterbirds, including flamingos, pelicans and various wading species. The forest on the lower slopes of Meru holds black and white colobus monkeys, bushbuck, and elephant. The park records over 400 bird species in total.
It works well as a first day in Tanzania before a longer safari, a last day before flying home, or a standalone trip for anyone with a spare day in Arusha who wants something more than the town can offer.