Arusha National Park, located in the Arumeru district of Arusha province, Northern Tanzania, is home to Mount Meru. It falls under the Arusha National Parks Authority, which is part of Kilimanjaro National Parks, an authority that oversees the park’s ecosystem, including the mountain located within its boundaries, Mount Meru.
The amazing views of Mount Meru, the second-highest mountain in Tanzania, attract hordes of tourists to visit this park. The park itself is a tourist attraction that captures the attention of visitors on 1 day safari missions, day hikes, and also as a combination of the multi-day northern Tanzania circuit adventures to parks like Serengeti, Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro.
This park in northern Tanzania might be small in comparison to the other big game parks but it has astonishing geological features and landforms like a cluster of lakes known as the Momella Lakes, Ngurdoto Crater, a variety of waterfalls cascading from the streams and slopes of the mountain and acres of lush green forests within the park and the surrounding areas of Usa River, Kikatiti and Kilala.
Usually, game viewing around the flamingo-filled lakes is a tranquil pace as you traverse the rainforest zone of this park on the slopes of the ash-coned Mount Meru, you will encounter a variety of wild animals like giraffes, buffaloes and other small game wildlife, including the endemic black and white colobus monkeys.
If you are up for the challenge, you can opt to climb Mount Meru, a trek expedition that would take you three to four good days, and climbers term it as steeper than Kilimanjaro’s profile. This is one of the main reasons why Mount Meru treks and usually warm-ups to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
For day trip visitors, they get to enjoy the various features of the park, and one striking feature is symbolic to this park, the ever-photogenic fig tree arch with an arch large enough to fit a whole safari jeep passing through.
Arusha National Park is not only a tourist attraction but an important water catchment area for the people of Arusha Town, the nearest town to this park and Tanzania’s safari capital, popularly known as the Geneva of Africa, because it acts as the connecting hub to Africa’s bigwig parks like the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
To enter Arusha National Park, you will pass a thriving montane forest on the foothill of Mount Meru, which plays home to various monkey species like blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and a host of many colourful bird species like turacos and trogons.
Taking centre stage at the forested park is the magnificent wetland of the marshy base of Ngurdoto Crater, which is inhabited by large herds of buffalo with a sprinkle of warthogs surrounded by walls of steep cliffs.
As you head northwards, you come across rolling hills covered in blankets of grass that surround the tranquil and beautiful Momella lakes, which bear a striking resemblance of greenish, bluish shades and of course dotted with a population of pink flamingos on the shores of the lakes. Canoeing can be done on these lakes that support a variety of wildlife, including waterbucks, waterfowl and a number of both resident and migratory birds.
This goes without mentioning the popular resident wildlife comprised of giraffes, zebras, dik dik and antelopes busy grazing and browsing without caution, as there no threat of the big cats here because lions do not exist in this park, leopards are scarc,e making predator count in this park very low save for some spotted hyenas seen loitering here and there in this plant rich habitat.
Even though Mount Kilimanjaro may be visible from a distance on a clear day, it is Mount Meru’s views that dominate the horizon of this often-overlooked park. 4,566 metres above sea level, Mount Meru is the fifth-highest mountain in Africa.
Climbing Mount Meru from Arusha National Park
A Journey Up Mount MeruAs you start your climb, you’ll pass through wooded areas full of grass and trees where buffaloes and giraffes often show up. Moving higher, the path takes you into thick forests bright with tall red flowers and hanging moss that looks like old beards. Then it opens up to wide heathlands dotted with huge spiky plants. Small wildflowers stick to the rocky high spots, while sure-footed antelopes hop along the trail. At the top’s jagged edge, you get a clear look at Kilimanjaro, glowing pink in the morning light.
Size
The park covers 552 square kilometres, which is about 212 square miles.
Location
It’s in the northern part of Tanzania, just northeast of Arusha town and can be accessed via the Momella Road off Usa River.
Getting There
It’s a quick 40-minute drive from Arusha. From Kilimanjaro International Airport, it’s around 60 kilometres or 35 miles away. You can see the lakes, forest, and Ngurdoto Crater all in half a day, making it a great add-on at the start or end of a longer trip in the north. Keep in mind, permits for mountain climbing last only 12 hours.
Domestic Flights to Arusha National Parks
Tour companies usually handle charter flights as part of your package. For regular flights to Arusha or Kilimanjaro, check out local airlines like Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Regional Air, ZanAir, Safari Air Link, Coastal Aviation, or Fastjet.
What to Do
You can wander through the forests or relax at many picnic areas. For a bigger adventure, try the three- or four-day hike up Mount Meru—it’s a smart way to get used to the altitude before tackling Kilimanjaro.
Best Time to Visit
For climbing Mount Meru or doing an Arusha National Park day hike, go between June and February, though November might have some rain. To catch the clearest sights of Kilimanjaro, aim for December to February.
Best Time for Wildlife Viewing
You can come to Arusha National Park any time of year, but the dry months from June to October are top for seeing animals. The bushes are thinner, so spotting them is easier, and they stick close to water spots. During the heavy rains from March to April, some paths might get too muddy, messing up your animal-watching plans.
Wildlife Highlights
The woods here hide animals you don’t see much in other northern parks, like playful blue monkeys and striking black-and-white colobus swinging from branches. With luck, you might glimpse a timid red duiker or the tiny Kirk’s dik-dik. Giraffes roam a lot near the Momella Lakes.