Safari to Arusha National Park

some really superb hiking trails

At just 360 square kilometres, Arusha National Park is a relatively small but surprisingly interesting conservation area, easily accessible from the nearby town of Arusha.

The reserve is centred on Mount Meru, twin volcano to the larger Mount Kilimanjaro and which also offers some excellent trekking options.

The park contains some diverse and very pretty, with dramatic volcanic peaks and craters, extensive forests, high altitude grasslands and a network of lakes. Perhaps the biggest single draw is the famed view over Mount Kilimanjaro.

Although there are good populations of animals around, only the large herbivores like giraffes, zebras and buffaloes tend to be seen with any regularity, the terrain is not well suited for conventional wildlife viewing.

A particular highlight are the black and white colobus monkeys that inhabit the forested areas, particularly around the Ngurdoto Crater, which you are unlikely to see elsewhere in the Serengeti region.

As well as the serious trekking on the mountain, there are some excellent hiking trails in the park, as well as options for mountain-biking and canoeing.

Our favourite hiking route is to head down onto the floor of the epic Ngurdoto Crater, a truly amazing location. The day hike up to the main crater on Mount Meru is also very cool, whilst the 3-4 day hike to the summit can make for an interesting warm-up for trekkers who are very serious about getting to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

There are also Hollywood connections with the renowned John Wayne movie “Hatari” having been shot here in the 1950’s.

Arusha National Park tends to feature in depressingly few trips. It is a far more interesting and rewarding area than the very low visitor numbers imply, but unfortunately it has to compete for nights with the extraordinary safari areas of the greater Serengeti area.

The usual stay duration is 1-4 nights, where one night at the front end of a trip positions you to take the fabulous back road route to Lake Natron, whilst four nights would enable you to really explore the area properly.

Seasonality

The best time to visit Arusha National Park is during the Jun-Oct dry season, but it really can be explored at any time of year.

If you want to hike to the top of Mount Meru, then it is best to avoid the cooler Apr-Jul period, when snowfalls can block the return from the summit, which can be extremely dangerous.

Getting there

Arusha National Park is easily accessed from the main road between Kilimanjaro International Airport and Arusha Town, from where it takes just a few minutes to reach the park gate.

Where to stay

The majority of visitors to Arusha National Park do some from a base back down in Arusha.

If you want to explore the area properly and, especially, if you want to undertake any of the hiking or trekking trails, then you may want to stay at a lodge high in the reserve, where the stand-out option is the funky little Hatari Lodge.

a really interesting but unusual place to deploy a few nights