Arusha National Park, located in close proximity to Arusha town, northern Tanzania’s safari hub, is a multifaceted gem often underestimated by safari enthusiasts. Despite its compact size, it offers an enticing array of ecosystems to explore within just a few hours.
Your journey commences at the park’s entrance gate, leading you into a mysterious montane forest inhabited by inquisitive blue monkeys and vibrant turacos and trogons. This is the sole location within the northern safari circuit where you can readily observe the acrobatic black-and-white colobus monkey. Nestled within this forest is the breathtaking Ngurdoto Crater, characterised by steep, rocky cliffs embracing a vast marshy floor graced with herds of buffalo and warthog. Venturing northward, rolling grassy hills encircle the serene beauty of the Momela Lakes. Each lake boasts a unique shade of green or blue, with their shallows occasionally tinged pink by flocks of flamingos. These lakes harbour a diverse array of resident and migratory waterfowl, while shaggy waterbucks display their magnificent lyre-shaped horns along the water’s edge. Graceful giraffes glide across the grassy hills, weaving among grazing zebra herds. Pairs of wide-eyed dik-dik dart into scrubby thickets, reminiscent of overgrown hares on spindly legs. While Arusha National Park may have fewer elephants and no lions, you might catch sight of elusive leopards and spotted hyenas during the early mornings and late afternoons. It’s precisely at dawn and dusk when the veil of cloud on the eastern horizon is most likely to lift, unveiling the majestic snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro, merely 50km (30 miles) away.
The park gate is only about 25 km (roughly 45 minutes) from Arusha town, which makes it an easy half-day or full-day trip, or a first stop on a northern circuit safari.
Fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), about an hour's drive from the park, or Arusha Airport for domestic connections.
Explore popular animals that easy found on this world-class destinations
Colobus guereza
Cercopithecus mitis
Giraffa tippelskirchi
Equus quagga
Syncerus caffer
Kobus ellipsiprymnus
Madoqua kirkii
Phoeniconaias minor
Panthera pardus
Drive from the forested Ngurdoto Crater to the Momella Lakes, looking for giraffe, buffalo, zebra, waterbuck, warthog and the black-and-white colobus monkeys that are easier to see here than anywhere else in the north.
Arusha National Park is one of the few northern parks where you can walk with an armed ranger, passing giraffe and buffalo on foot on the way to waterfalls and viewpoints.
Paddle quietly across Small Momella Lake past waterbirds, hippos and giraffes browsing on the shore, with Mount Meru rising behind.
The park is the starting point for climbs of Mount Meru (4,566 m), a 3- or 4-day trek through forest and heath to a spectacular summit ridge facing Kilimanjaro.
More than 400 bird species live in the park's forests, lakes and grasslands, from flamingos on the Momella Lakes to trogons and turacos in the forest.
The long dry season from June to October and the short dry spell from late December to February offer the best game viewing and the clearest views of Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro. This is also the best time to climb Mount Meru.
The park is green and quiet during the rains and is excellent for birdwatching, but trails can be slippery and cloud often hides the mountains. April and May are the wettest months.
Popular experience in the Serengeti National Park
Popular experience in the Serengeti National Park
Best time: All year round
Destinations: Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Tarangire, Zanzibar
Best time: January, February, March, December
Destinations: Arusha, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Tarangire
Best time: All year round
Destinations: Arusha, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Tarangire
Best time: All year round
Destinations: Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Tarangire
Best time: All year round
Destinations: Lake Eyasi, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Tarangire
Best time: All year round
Destinations: Arusha, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti
Best time: All year round
Destinations: Lake Manyara, Materuni Waterfalls, Mkomazi, Tarangire
Best time: All year round
Destinations: Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Tarangire
Popular experience in the Serengeti National Park
The park's main gate is only about 25 km from Arusha, around 45 minutes by road, which makes it one of the easiest national parks to visit in Tanzania. It's ideal for a half-day or full-day trip on your arrival or departure day, or as a relaxed first stop before heading out on a longer northern circuit safari.
Not all of them. The park has buffalo, elephants and elusive leopards, but no lions or rhinos. Instead, it's known for its variety of landscapes and species: giraffes and zebras on the grassy hills, black-and-white colobus monkeys in the montane forest, waterbucks and flamingos around the Momella Lakes, and the vast Ngurdoto Crater, all with Mount Meru as a backdrop.
Yes, which makes Arusha National Park unusual among northern Tanzania's parks. Guided walking safaris with an armed ranger let you approach giraffes and buffalo on foot and reach waterfalls and viewpoints, while canoe trips on Small Momella Lake glide past waterbirds, hippos and grazing animals, with Mount Meru reflected in the water.
Absolutely. It offers a completely different experience from the open savannah parks, with forest, lakes, a crater and Mount Meru in one compact area. It's perfect if you only have a day to spare, if you want to walk or canoe, or if you're acclimatising before a Kilimanjaro climb. Many travellers are surprised by how much wildlife and scenery it packs in.
The dry months, from June to February, are best for game viewing, walking safaris and clear views of Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro. This is also the best time to climb Mount Meru. The rainy season, especially April and May, brings lush forest and excellent birdwatching, but trails can be slippery and clouds often hide the mountains.
