Arusha National Park

About Arusha National Park

Arusha National Park is a compact 137 km² park about 25 km east of Arusha city, gazetted in 1960 around the Ngurdoto Crater and later extended to include Mount Meru and the Momella Lakes. It packs three distinct landscapes into a small area: the grassy floor of Ngurdoto Crater, a chain of shallow alkaline lakes in the north-east, and the forested slopes of Mount Meru, Tanzania's second-highest mountain at 4,566 m.

The forest holds black-and-white colobus and blue monkeys, bushbuck and forest birds such as the Narina trogon, while giraffe, buffalo, zebra and warthog graze the open ground. The Momella Lakes carry large numbers of waders and, seasonally, flamingos.

Because the park has no lions, it is one of the few places on the northern circuit where ranger-led walking safaris and canoeing on the lakes are routine. It is also the base for the four-day Mount Meru climb from Momella Gate.

Highlights

• Ngurdoto Crater grassland viewpoint
• Momella Lakes canoeing and flamingos
• Black-and-white colobus in the montane forest
• Walking safaris with an armed ranger
• Mount Meru trailhead at Momella Gate
• Half-day trip from Arusha city