Arusha national park is located in north east of Arusha town at a distance of 25 kilometers from the city to the main gate, Arusha national park is accessed from various cities and other destinations. From Moshi city the park is at a distance of 58 kilometers, from Kilimanjaro international airport is at a distance of 35 kilometers.
Attractions in Arusha national park
Wildlife
Arusha national park is a small national park but regardless the size of the park, it is a home a variety of wildlife species though not in huge numbers like other protected areas in Tanzania, animals in the park include giraffe, shy red duiker, kirk’s dik-dik, leopards though rarely seen, cape buffaloes, zebras, warthogs and in the forest galleries of the park there is various species of primates such as blue monkey, black and white colobus monkeys. These animals are easily spotted in the park while on a game drive safari.
Birds
Arusha national park is a home for a variety of bird species, the park is covered by a series of vegetation cover including forests and green savannah grasslands which are perfect home to over 400 bird species. Birds habiting in the park include Red-billed Fire finch, African Fire finch, Quail finch, Red-headed Weaver, Baglafecht Weaver, Spectacled Weaver, Taveta Golden, collared Sunbird, Olive Sunbird, Amethyst Sunbird, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, African Dusky Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, African Gray Flycatcher, White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher, Cape Robin-Chat, Violet-backed Starling, Red-winged Starling, Waller’s Starling, Eastern Mountain Greenbul, Stripe-cheeked Greenbul, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Hunter’s Cisticola, Rattling Cisticola, Winding Cisticola, Siffling Cisticola and many more.
Momela lakes
Momela lakes in Arusha national park are shallow alkaline lakes consisting of 7 small lake with a big one big Momela, small lakes making up Momela lakes include small Momela, El Kekhotoito, Kusare, Rishateni, Lekandiro and Tulusia. These lakes attract many birds and animals on their banks though their water is not used by animals as they are alkaline type of lakes.
Ngurdoto crater
Ngurdoto crater is a magnificent feature situated in Arusha national park, the crater is a 3 kilometers steep- sided bowl surrounded by riverine forest and a lush swamp on the crater floor. The crater hosts many animals such as elephant, African buffalo, a variety of monkeys and baboons and birds such as hammerkop, spur-winged geese, herons and many more. The crater has many trails which are used to tour the crater.
Mount Meru
Mount Meru is a magnificent feature creating a beautiful scenery in the park, the mountain is ranked as the fifth highest mountain in Africa and the second highest in Tanzania forming part of Arusha national park. The mountain has featured slopes and has a summit cone with a symmetric caldera, mount Meru facilitates breathtaking mountain hiking safaris.
Little/Mini Serengeti
Another attraction in the Arusha national park is the Serengeti Ndogo, sometimes known as the “Little Serengeti”. The mini Serengeti was created to help grazing animals like zebras who can’t browse, as well as to make animal viewing easier. Because the Arusha national park habitats are mostly forest and shrubs, they can’t support grazing animals, and game viewing is poor. The mini Serengeti was purposefully created to address that problem.
Lake Longil
This is another attraction in the Arusha National Park, and it is the park’s sole freshwater lake. It is excellent for observing buffaloes and waterbucks, but some water-loving species like the Egyptian goose may also be seen and found here because it is their watering site. The Momella lakes, for example, are saline-water lakes.
Ngurudoto museum
The Ngurudoto museum is devoted to displaying the various species of creatures that may be found within the Ngurudoto crater. It houses taxidermy, bones, and remains, as well as other information about these species, and is a good site to learn about them before visiting the crater. A souvenir shop, modern flushing facilities, a small car park, and a ranger post with quarters and all are also available at the museum. Colobus monkeys, baboons, and a few bird species are among the animals that can be spotted there.
Activities in Arusha National Park
Arusha National Park may be explored and enjoyed in one day, two days, or up to six days if you want to see everything the park has to offer. Some of the top tourism activities to do in Arusha National Park are listed below.
Mount Meru hiking
The primary attraction of the Arusha National Park are Mount Meru and the animals, which visitors planning a Tanzania safari to this area can experience. Arusha is located at the base of Mount Meru, which, at 4,562 meters, is slightly smaller than Kilimanjaro but still offers a tough and rewarding hiking adventure. Mount Meru is typically climbed in three to four days, including hiking to the summit and descending the mountain.
This Mount Kilimanjaro’s smaller brother is frequently disregarded, despite being Tanzania’s second-highest mountain and Africa’s fifth-largest mountain. Mount Meru is regarded as an alternate adventure to Mount Kilimanjaro, and it is also recommended that before ascending Tanzania’s tallest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, you take on a challenge to Mount Meru to stay in shape for Mount Kilimanjaro. Despite its under appreciation, Mount Meru is one of the must-see attraction in Tanzania and Arusha national park since it still has it all: adventure, fun mountain cabins along the way, and spectacular views and scenery from the ash cone and crescent volcano crater’s peak. When trekking Mount Meru on a clear day, you’ll enjoy spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is around 50 miles away and close to Moshi town, Activities in Arusha National Park.
Game drives
This is another tourist activity to undertake in Arusha National Park, which has numerous unique attractions such as vast populations of wild animals, particularly giraffes. The game drives in the Arusha national park can be arranged or done early in the morning, afternoon, or night, with the early morning game drive being the best of all because most of the animals in the Serengeti Ndogo are easy to see and observe in the morning and get scarce as the afternoon progresses. In addition to wild creatures, during the game drive at Arusha National Park, you will be able to witness a variety of habitats as well as a variety of bird species. If you want to see as much wildlife as possible, go on a game drive during the dry season.
Walking Safari
Arusha National Park does not have as many predators as other well-known Tanzanian parks, such as Serengeti and Ngorongoro. As a result, the walking safari is simple to undertake and can be done in peace without being bothered by dangerous creatures. Walking freely alongside Tanzania’s habitats and wildlife provides visitors with a completely unique experience, since it is the only tourism activity that allows visitors to get up close and personal with Tanzania’s nature and wildlife. On a walking safari in Arusha National Park, you’ll be walking at the foot of Mt. Meru, surrounded by verdant woods, lakes, waterfalls, and a large population of giraffes. Besides giraffes and other wild animals, the Colobus monkey, which may often be seen swinging from trees, is one of the highlights under this tourism activity. Even though there are no much predators in the area, the walking safari is always accompanied by an armed park ranger to ensure your protection.
Canoeing on Lake Momella
The Momella lakes, which is located within and is home to the park’s flamingos, is a perfect site to go on a canoe safari and appreciate the beauty of Arusha National Park. Follow the shorelines of little Momella Lake on a tranquil and gorgeous canoeing excursion. On this two-and-a-half-hour canoe safari, you’ll see buffaloes, bushbuck, giraffes, hippos, and a variety of water birds that live near or in the water. Along with Lake Manyara National Park, is the only site on Tanzania’s northern safari circuit where you can go canoeing.
Bird watching
Arusha National Park is one of the few parks in Tanzania and Africa, where bird watching is worthwhile. Beautiful bird-watching opportunities may be found in Arusha National Park, particularly in the Momella Lakes. Over 400 distinct migrant and resident bird species can be found in the national park. small grebes, eagles, pochards, geese, hamerkop, red shark, spurwinged goose, woodpecker, herons, secretary birds, and grey parrots are among the most well-known bird species in the Arusha National Park. The park features both permanent and migratory birds, and due to its many environments, the Arusha National Park hosts a variety of bird species, including water-loving birds, woodland birds, and open plain birds. Bird watching in this national park is well done during the wet season, which is the rainy months when most of the birds have arrived from different parts of the world
Visit the Ngurdoto Museum.
The Ngurdoto Museum is one of the national park’s attractions, where visitors can explore and take in some of the park’s natural splendor. The Ngurdoto Museum, which overlooks the Ngurdoto Forest with its population of black and white colobus monkeys, includes an outstanding collection of representatives of the park’s numerous animals, birds, and insects. Egrets, grey herons, kingfishers, and fish eagles, as well as butterflies, primates, and reptiles, make the area an excellent site for nature lovers and birders.
Other tourism activities or things to do include visiting different water falls that are found inside the national park, such as the cave waterfalls and Tululusia waterfall, visiting the local people in the Arusha region, such as the resident Waarusha tribes and the Maasai tribes, going on a local coffee tour, visiting Arusha town, etc.
