The Amazing Arusha National Park

Though small, Arusha National Park is one of the parks richest in wildlife. Besides that, the park offers you beautiful landscapes with diverse natural features. These include lakes, swamps, waterfalls, forests, volcanoes, and mountains. It is an ideal habitat for any animal species. Enjoy mesmerizing sights of birds such as hornbills, and flamingoes. If you have read about the black and white Columbus monkey, then this is their home.

Mount Meru

Mount Meru is a dormant volcano in Tanzania, the second-highest mountain in the country. It is found in Arusha National Park standing at 4,566 meters in height (14,990 feet). The mountain is very beautiful but not so favorable when it comes to climbing- quite challenging.

Canoeing and/or walking in Arusha National Park

Canoeing and walking are popular activities to engage in while visiting the park. You will however need an armed ranger for such tour activities. Such activities give you an opportunity to see wildlife up close, which is better than just using your binoculars to zoom-in on animals from many miles while seated in your tour van.

The park is just some 45 minutes from Arusha town.

We have a number of itineraries with tours to Arusha National Park. Check out our packages

What animals are you likely to see in Arusha National Park?

• Monkeys
• Waterbuck
• Zebra
• Buffalo
• Hundreds of bird species
• Warthog
• Giraffe
• Hippo
• Warthog

Excursions and activities suitable for Arusha National Park

• Canoeing
• Walking
• Mountain climbing
• Lake Duluti walk
• Mountain bike tour
• Coffee Plantations Visit
• Cultural tours
• Local market visits

Where to stay in Arusha National Park

In less than 20 miles from the park gate, you would find a diversity of accommodation options and an opportunity of a full-day safari to Arusha National Park from the bounds of the growing city; This comes with some drawbacks – the first disadvantage is if you choose to stay in Arusha city, you are not in the wilderness area of a park but a bustling city area.

Second, you will also miss the opportunity of an early morning and evening game viewing experience where maximal wildlife activity is encountered as you will have to drive from the city to the park for your game viewing and return to the city in the early evening. Third, you will miss the chance of seeing the game from the doorstep of your accommodation at all times – all away from the city traffic and pollution.

As with all Oltumure Safaris accommodations, Hatari Lodge offers a small number of guest rooms, 9 to be exact. With so few guests, you enjoy personalized service, and whatever your pleasure, the professional and courteous staff are available to help you make your safari dreams come true! The decor of the rooms and common areas reflects the design trends of the time when the movie Hatari! was filmed — specifically

6 Facts about Arusha National Park

• Mount Meru located in the park is the second-highest mountain in the country.
• Hosts seven shallow alkaline lakes- Momella Lakes.
• Has a popular crater known as Ngurdoto Crater? It’s a swampy crater, home to various wildlife.
• On bright days, you can enjoy beautiful views of Mount Kilimanjaro from the park.
• Beautiful volcanic scenery and rain forest.
• You drive under fig tree canopies creating a beautiful arch over the drive lanes.

Drive Time around Arusha

• Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha City- 1 hour
• Arusha City to Arusha National Park- 45 minutes
• Arusha National Park to Tarangire or Lake Manyara- 2 ½ hours
• Arusha National Park to Ngorongoro- 3 hours
• Arusha National Park to Serengeti- 5 hours

From our expert

Arusha National Park is mostly preferred due to the availability of a variety of bird species. The park also hosts various types of monkeys which are usually rare in other elsewhere in Tanzania. Canoeing and nature walks are some other activities that we have seen our tourists really interested in. This is because it gives them a chance to see wildlife up close.

We would recommend a 1-day stay in the park- that would just be enough for you. However, if you would like to climb Mount Meru, then 3 to 4 days would be ideal for you.

Once-in-a-lifetime trips to this park:

11 Days safari trip Tanzania Zanzibar

15 Days trip Tanzania + Zanzibar

(the above two packages are available on all trips/safaris)