The smallest but also the most accessible of Tanzania’s parks, the Arusha National Park, an excellent choice for walking and canoeing safaris, it is an extraordinarily calm place, with a wide variety of natural habitats. It is on the slopes of Mount Meru, between the Rift Valley in the west, and Kilimanjaro in the east.
The chances of spotting predators are very low, but it is the perfect place for close encounters with animals, surrounded by a wonderful landscape and impressive nature.
Arusha National Park
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- less than an hour from Arusha town
- 1 day to visit the park
2 to 4 days for trekking on Mount Meru
- it covers an area of 542 km²
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altitude 1.700 mt
Mount Meru 4.566 mt
- accomodation in Arusha
points of interest
the Serengeti Ndogo grassland, just after crossing the Ngorongoro Access Gate, inhabited by giraffes, zebras, buffaloes and baboons
the Ngurdoto crater, consisting of a 3-kilometer caldera about 400 meters deep, rich in fauna, also called ‘Little Ngorongoro’, not accessible to tourists, but with panoramic points on the edge of the crater
the seven Momella lakes, with shallow and alkaline waters, populated by flamingos and other birds, perfect for canoe safaris with only the sound of the wind and the surrounding fauna, which on clear days offers incredible views of Kilimanjaro on one side and of Mount Meru on the other
the area on the slopes of Mount Meru, west of Momella Gate, where you can experience the thrill of a walking safari, arriving at the Tululusia waterfalls; further west, in the luxuriant wood, a huge specimen of ficus, thats trunk forms a large natural arch under which you can pass by jeep, achievable by car, but also walking in 3-4 hours
ACTIVITIES IN THE PARK INCLUDED
Game drive: all the areas of the Arusha National Park on the map and in the description, compatibly with environmental conditions and with the park regulations.
Walking safaris: experience in close contact with nature, escorted by an armed ranger, which allows you to get close to the animals, following the tracks on the plains of the Serengeti Ndogo.
EXTRA ACTIVITIES IN THE PARK
Canoeing: on Lake Momella, to observe nature and its inhabitants from a different perspective.
On horseback and by bike
Entry to the National Parks in Tanzania is allowed to licensed off-road vehicles of local tour operators with a valid license. The paths of the safaris are strictly bound to the trails. The strict regulation of parks has the laudable aim of safeguarding the inestimable natural heritage and supporting the local economy. The “DIY tourism” presents many unknowns and therefore becomes difficult to practice. With us, local tour operator with Italian participation, you can realize your dream of a tailor-made safari! Contact us
Wildlife in Arusha National Park
one of the best for sightings of
• Guereza (black and white colobus) • Sykes’s Monkey (Blue Monkey) • Flamingo
very frequent sightings of
• African Buffalo • Zebra • Giraffe • Waterbuck • Kirk’s dik-dik • Olive Baboon • Yellow baboon • Vervet monkey • Sykes’s Monkey (Blue Monkey)
probable sightings of
• Elephant • Hippopotamus • Warthog • Bohor reedbuck • Bushbuck (Imbalala) • Suni • Klipspringer • Harvey’s duiker • Common Duiker (Grey) • Honey badger • Chamaleon
rare sightings of
• Leopards • Serval • Caracal • Spotted Hyena • African civet • African palm civet • Side-striped jackal • North African porcupine
birdwatching
Water birds • Greater Flamingo⚑ • Lesser Flamingo⚑ • Maccoa Duck⚑⚑ • Northern Shoveler⚑ • Yellow-billed Duck⚑ • African Black Duck⚑ • Cape Teal⚑ • Red-billed Teal⚑ • Little Grebe⚑ • Great Crested Grebe⚑ • Red-knobbed Coot⚑ • Grey Crowned Crane⚑⚑ • African Sacred Ibis⚑ • Hadada Ibis⚑⚑ • Madagascar Pond-heron⚑⚑ • Grey Heron⚑ • Black-headed Heron⚑ • Cattle Egret⚑ • African Darter⚑ • African Jacana⚑… and several other
Other bird species • Helmeted Guineafowl⚑• African Green-pigeon⚑• Scarce Swift⚑ • Horus Swift⚑ • Nyanza Swift⚑ • Hartlaub’s Turaco⚑ • Bearded Vulture⚑ • Bateleur⚑⚑ • White-backed Vulture⚑⚑ • Crowned Eagle⚑⚑ • Martial Eagle⚑⚑ • Ayres’s Hawk-eagle⚑ • Black Kite⚑ • Mountain Buzzard⚑⚑ • Bar-tailed Trogon⚑• Silvery-cheeked Hornbill⚑• Olive Bee-eater⚑ • White-fronted Bee-eater⚑ • Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater⚑ • Liliac-breasted Roller⚑ (in the photo) • European Roller⚑⚑ • Pied Kingfisher • Giant Kingfisher⚑• White-eared Barbet⚑ • Green-backed Honeybird⚑ • Sooty Falcon⚑⚑ • Red-fronted Parrot⚑ • Fischer’s Lovebird⚑⚑ • Yellow-collared Lovebird⚑ • Hunter’s Cisticola⚑ • Zitting Cisticola • African Yellow Warbler⚑ • Olive-headed Bulbul⚑ • Brown Woodland-warbler • Kilimanjaro White-eye⚑ • Red-winged Starling⚑ • Sharpe’s Starling⚑ • Kenrick’s Starling⚑ • Abbott’s Starling⚑⚑ • Abyssinian Thrush⚑⚑ • Common Stonechat⚑ • Scarlet-chested Sunbird⚑ • Nettarinia del Tacazze⚑ • Golden-winged Sunbird⚑ • Rufous-tailed Weaver⚑ • Yellow-crowned Bishop⚑ • Southern Red Bishop⚑ • Jackson’s Widowbird⚑⚑ • Baglafecht Weaver⚑ • Taveta Golden Weaver⚑ • Abyssinian Crimsonwing⚑ • Pin-tailed Whydah⚑ • Pangani Longclaw⚑ • Streaky Seedeater⚑… and several other
⚑ Threatened
⚑ Tanzania endemic
⚑ Near endemic
⚑ Africa endemic
⚑ Migratory
ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE PARK
Arusha – market and city centre: a visit to Arusha town and its authentic African market
N’giresi village and Wa-arusha tribe: on the slopes of Mount Meru, a few kilometers from Arusha, there is the village of the Wa-Arusha tribe; cousins of the Masai, shepherds who have become farmers and have stabilized.
Boma (Masai village): visit to Masai village and to their huts
Oldonyo Sambu (visits on horseback, or donkeys or camels): 35 km northwest of Arusha a visit to the Masai village to find out how they live their lives.
To find information on park fees, already included in the price of our safaris, go to Park Fees. The park taxation system in Tanzania is the necessary contribution to the conservation of an uncontaminated and wild natural heritage, of inestimable environmental value.
For general information about all parks in Tanzania and about this park – when to go, where it is, nearby destinations – go to Parks
Are you interested in Arusha National Park? Contact us!
