Arusha National Park

Overview

Arusha National Park is a treasure trove of diverse ecosystems and breathtaking views of Mt. Meru, the crater that gave the region its name. It is a popular day trip destination for visitors who are about to embark on longer northern circuit safaris from Arusha.

The slopes, summit, and ash cone of Mt. Meru, the Momela Lakes, Ngurdoto Crater, and the lush highland forests that blanket its lower slopes are all part of the small national park. The game viewing around the Momela Lakes is relaxed and quiet, and many visitors stop to look for troupes of rare colobus monkeys playing in the canopy while passing through the forest.

Visitors to Arusha National Park enjoy climbing Mt. Meru or exploring the smaller trails that traverse its lower slopes. The three to four day trek to the crater’s summit is a more peaceful, and some say more difficult, alternative to the nearby Mount Kilimanjaro’s famous peak. Paths to rivers and waterfalls on the lower slopes provide a relaxing day hike for visitors who do not want to attempt the rather difficult climb. Arusha National Park’s attractions and pleasures include ancient fig tree forests, crystal clear waters cascading from mountain streams, and the opportunity to see colobus monkeys.

Arusha National Park, the closest national park to Arusha town, northern Tanzania’s safari capital, is a multi-faceted jewel that is often overlooked by safari goers, despite offering the opportunity to explore a beguiling diversity of habitats within a few hours.

The entrance gate leads into a shadowy montane forest teeming with curious blue monkeys and colorful turacos and trogons – the only place on the northern safari circuit where the acrobatic black-and-white colobus monkey can be seen. The spectacular Ngurdoto Crater stands in the middle of the forest, its steep rocky cliffs enclosing a wide marshy floor dotted with herds of buffalo and warthog.

That far north, rolling grassy hills encircle the tranquil beauty of the Momela Lakes, each with a distinct green or blue hue. There are shallows that are sometimes pink from thousands of flamingos. The lakes are home to a diverse range of resident and migratory waterfowl, as well as shaggy waterbucks, which display their large lyre-shaped horns on the water’s edge. Giraffes glide across the grassy hills, between grazing zebra herds, while dik-diks dart into scrubby bush like overgrown hares on spindly legs.

Even though elephants and lions are rare in Arusha National Park, leopards and spotted hyenas can be seen slinking around in the early morning and late afternoon. The veil of cloud on the eastern horizon is also most likely to clear at dusk and dawn, revealing the majestic snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro, which is only 50km (30 miles) away.

But it is Mount Meru, Kilimanjaro’s unassuming cousin and Africa’s fifth highest mountain at 4,566 meters (14,990 feet) that dominates the park’s horizon. Meru, with its protected peaks and eastern foot slopes, provides unparalleled views of its famous neighbor while also serving as a rewarding hiking destination in its own right.

The ascent of Meru begins in wooded savannah, where buffalos and giraffes are common, and continues into forests aflame with red-hot pokers and dripping with Spanish moss, before reaching highly open heath spiked with giant lobelias. As the hike progresses, everlasting flowers cling to the alpine desert, and delicately-hoofed klipspringers mark the way.