A Guide to Arusha National Park

A Guide to Arusha National Park, Within easy reach of Arusha town lies one of the smallest parks in Tanzania, Arusha National Park. It’s just 32 km away from the town center and about 40 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport. The park is about 552 square kilometers. Well, is it really small? Yes, it is. The foot of Mount Meru covers the largest part. The rest is a 137-square-kilometer wilderness.

Arusha National Park hosts some dazzling attractions, such as Mount Meru, Kilimanjaro’s little brother, Momella Lakes, Ngurdoto Crater, and so much more. Here, you will combine both game viewing and climbing experiences as well as other lifetime adventures. Keep reading, as we describe Arusha National Park in detail.

Where is Arusha National Park, and how do you get there?

As mentioned earlier, Arusha lies on the main safari route in northern Tanzania. More interestingly, this park is very close to Arusha town, which is the base for many safari-goers and mountain climbers.

It takes as short a time as 15-20 minutes to reach the main gate of this beautiful park. That means you can go for a half-day game drive or a Meru day hike. Since the park is easily accessible by driving, flying isn’t necessary. Helicopter flights are available, though.

What are the best attractions in Arusha National Park?

Does Arusha NP deserve a visit? It probably does. The park doesn’t offer sightings of the famed Big Five animals or the Great Migration (and we can’t lie to you), but there are unique things worth watching. Let’s explore.

1.    Mount Meru

Standing at 4,566 meters, Mount Meru is without question Tanzania’s second-highest peak and Africa’s fifth-highest peak. It’s a dormant volcano said to have been formed about 2 million years ago.

Many hikers, especially first-timers, take on Mount Meru in preparation for the Kilimanjaro summit attempt. This mountain offers a ‘warm-up’ trek, preparing your body for even high-altitude peaks like Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. You will adapt quickly.

Mount Meru has only a trekking route, and it takes 3-4 days to complete the hike. The journey begins in the lower wildlife-rich rainforest zone, where you will encounter several animals, including elephants, buffalo, and monkeys, along the way.

Your first camp is Miriakamba Hut at 2,514 meters, and the second (and last) is Saddle Hut perched at 3,566 meters. The hike is moderate, though some parts are more direct. So, train, train, and train.

At the highest point – Socialist Peak – you enjoy an illuminating sunrise. The views of the city of Arusha, Momella Lakes, and Ngurdoto Crater are very clear from this point. More importantly, you can enjoy the views of the snow-capped Uhuru Peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. The area is also photogenic.

2.    Wildlife

Arusha is also home to a variety of wildlife. You can see big game such as buffalo, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, warthogs, waterbucks, and hyenas. A game drive to the ‘Serengeti Ndogo’ (Little Serengeti)—named so for the wide-open plains—will offer the views of herds of buffalo, wildebeest, and zebras. Other animals common here include warthogs, giraffes, and waterbucks.

Large animals are also a common sight in the Uwanja wa Mbogo (Buffalo’s glade) plains, especially Cape buffalo, giraffes, and warthogs. Here, you will discover a mutual relationship between buffalo and warthogs. The former eats the top part of the grass, leaving the middle for the latter. Warthogs, in turn, alert buffaloes to the danger due to their good eyesight and high-speed running.

3.    Momella Lakes

Located on the northeastern side of the park is a series of seven soda lakes collectively called Momella Lakes. Watching them from the peak of Mount Meru is enough to make you go even closer to them. These seven soda lakes include Big Momella, Small Momella, Rishateni, Kusare, Lekandiro, Tulusia, and El Kekhotoito.

Fed by underground streams, each of these lakes has unique coloration, mainly due to variations in mineral content. Some support large flocks of flamingos and other water birds. Out of seven lakes, canoeing is only possible in the Small Momella. This relaxing adventure makes you discover beauty and explore the park from the comfort of a canoe.

4.    Ngurdoto Crater

Ngurdoto Crater is one of the best craters in Tanzania, after the undisputed Ngorongoro Crater. Unlike Ngorongoro, Ngurdoto has a swampy floor. In addition to that, both driving and walking aren’t highly prohibited in the Ngurdoto Crater. But you can watch wildlife inside the crater from the rim very clearly.

Common animals found in this crater include large game such as buffalo, waterbucks, zebras, and wildebeest. The water-loving Sitatunga antelope also lives in the crater. There’s a dense forest—Ngurdoto Forest—surrounding the crater. It’s home to primate species like black-and-white colobus monkeys, baboons, and blue monkeys. Many forest birds are also spotted in this forest.

What are the best things to do in Arusha National Park?

Arusha offers a mix of safari experiences (something you won’t get in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro). Don’t know what to do? That’s when Explore African Safaris comes in. We offer game drives, Mount Meru day hikes, birdwatching, and walking safaris. Here’s a brief of our activities.

Game drives: Our expert field guides know Arusha inside out. More importantly, our safari vehicles are 4WD, and we limit the number of guests per vehicle to as few as four to offer you the comfort to watch wildlife from any angle.

Mount Meru day hikes: We understand you don’t have enough time to take on a complete Mount Meru hike. So, we have an alternative for you—a day hike to the first campsite, Miriakamba Huts. Expert mountain guides will lead the way up.

Birdwatching: Are you caught by a beautiful melody that an ashy starling sing? We have a special program for watching birds. A special guide (ornithologist) will accompany you throughout your tour.

Walking safaris: Some creatures are too small to be seen from the height of our 4WD safari vehicle. We know, and we got this. During your walk, we’ll teach you about medicinal plants. We’ll also show flowers, hot springs, insects, and small mammals.

The bottom line.

At Explore African Safaris, we turn every safari into an epic tale. Arusha National Park is our favorite destination, where we take our clients to introduce them to Tanzania’s wildlife. We are glad to take you there. Let’s start planning your adventure. Should you have more questions, please give us a call.