Destinations | Arusha National Park
The closest National Park to Arusha town is Arusha National Park, the only place on the northern safari circuit where the acrobatic Black-and-White Colobus monkey can be seen more easy.
In the Park the spectacular Ngurdoto Crater, encloses a wide marshy floor dotted with herds of Buffalo and Warthog.
The beauty of the Momela Lakes, 7 alkaline crater lakes, with their different colours of green or blue, sometimes turn into pink by thousands of Flamingos. The lakes support a rich selection of waterbirds.
Arusha National Park contains many animals including Giraffe (the highest density in the world) Elephant, Hippo, Buffalo, Warthog, Zebra, Dik- Dik, Baboon, Vervet- and Black and White Colobus Monkey, Waterbuck, Klipspringer, Reedbuck and, if you are lucky you may even see an occasional Leopard.
Mount Meru - the fifth highest mountain in Africa at 4,566 metres, dominates the park's horizon. Its peak is forming a rewarding hiking destination in its own right.
About Arusha National Park
Size: 137 sq km
Location:
Northern Tanzania, northeast of Arusha town.
Getting there
An easy 40-minute drive from Arusha.
Approximately 60 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport. The lakes, forest and Ngurdoto Crater can all be visited in a half-day trip at the beginning or end of a Northern Circuit Safari.
What to do
Forest walks, numerous picnic sites; three- or four-day Mt Meru climb - good acclimatisation for Kilimanjaro.
When to go
To climb Mt Meru, June-February although it may rain in November.