ARUSHA CITY – SAFARI IN ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK
ARUSHA CITY
Arusha is a city located in northern Tanzania , under the base of the Mount Meru volcano. It is one of the most prominent cities in the country for being the neuralgic center for organizing expeditions in safari format and a starting point especially for itineraries to the northern circuit.
It is located just 335 km west of the Serengeti National Park, where it is typical to see the annual migration of wildebeest crossing its plains and rivers in search of green pastures. On the east side, just 75 km away we can see the highest peak in Africa at 5,895m: Mount Kilimanjaro.
This city, known as the Geneva of Africa, was German territory during colonialism in 1900. It is a beautiful city with more than 410,440 inhabitants and many tourist attractions. You can go on excursions and very diverse cultural activities such as: visiting the Cultural Heritage Center where you can see material made by local people, hold an African dance workshop, visit the central market of Arusha or meet the Tanzanite gemstone .
Nearby we have Mount Meru where you can go trekking or hiking, meet a tribe or do a typical Tanzanian cooking workshop; Lake Duluti where you can take a canoe ride and meet different species of aquatic birds; Arusha National Park to get to know by doing a walking safari, etc. Arusha certainly has a lot to discover!
Check all the excursions and cultural activities here.
ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK
a rich immersion in wildlife and nature
The Arusha National Park is located 30 minutes northwest of the city of Arusha. The park was established in 1960 and has an area of 137 km 2 . Although it is a small park compared to the others, it is a good home for flora and fauna, especially primates.
Baboons can be seen in the trees , but the most abundant are colobus monkeys and gray langurs . On the way we will see herbivores such as buffalo, elephants, elands and impalas; while wildebeest and zebras forage on the Serengeti plains.
The landscape is very diversified, it is perfect for a day trip and the weather is always fresh because of its green forests receiving water from the streams of Mount Meru, allowing trees covered with moss and kniphofia or tritomas c rezcan In this area it was spectacular.
There are different options of activities that can be done in the park such as a canoe trip on the small Momella lake or a walking safari .
The walking safari is carried out accompanied by a ranger from the Momella gate to the Tululusia waterfalls , where you have a beautiful view of Mount Meru and the park. Then the journey back to the Momella gate is made. This is a very good option for people who want to get closer to nature and wildlife. The most common sightings on a walking safari include: giraffes, warthogs, impalas, buffalo, and a wide variety of bird species such as the osprey, the red-billed toco, the cariplate hornbill, herons, and buffalo among others.
What is the best time to visit Arusha National Park?
Wildlife watching in Arusha National Park is good all year round, but the best time is in the great dry season , from late May to October . This is the ideal time to feel closer to nature, due to the greater probability of seeing animals.
In the wet season (short rainy season: from November to mid-December, or the long rainy season: from March to early May), the landscape is especially beautiful and impressive although the days can be wet and gray.
It is typical to receive honeymoon couples during the long rainy season (from March to May) in this park, as it is a time of less tourist influx and with more lush vegetation that increases the beauty of the views.
What to see in Arusha Park?
Although the park is small, it has many attractive areas and various activities to do.
Just a few meters from Momella’s gate is Uwanja wa Mbogo (” buffalo land “) – a large grazing field for buffalo, giraffe, water antelope and warthog.
It is worth visiting the different waterfalls that can be reached by walking during the walking safari: the cave waterfalls, the Mao waterfalls and the Tululusi waterfalls.
We can also find a multitude of alkaline lakes such as the big Momella lakes and the small Momella lake that get their water from a combination of underground streams and rainfall. Here you can see a multitude of water birds such as the maccoa duck, great crested grebe, ibis and herons among others, sharing space with the hippos that glide through the water and push themselves from the bottom of the lake moving from one side to the other.
Choose one of our packs or write to us to customize your safari in Arusha National Park.
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To visit the Arusha National Park you can also choose one of the itineraries that we propose for the Northern circuit
