Arusha National Park
Arusha National Park is the closest national park to Arusha town – northern Tanzania’s safari capital. Arusha National Park is a multi-faceted jewel, often overlooked by safarigoers, despite offering the opportunity to explore a beguiling diversity of habitats within a few hours.
Arusha National Park is 552 sq km in size and is situated in northern Tanzania, just north east of Arusha town. The reserve offers remarkable natural beauty and protects the slopes of Mount Meru. It is the closest national park to Arusha town and approximately one hour away. Activities in the park include forest walks, beautiful picnic sites and 3-4 day trips to Mount Meru, the fifth highest peak in Africa, which offers good acclimatisation for Mt. Kilimanjaro.
The best time to climb Mt Meru is from June to February however it may rain in November. The best views of Kilimanjaro are between December and February. This park has the very unusual backdrop of the town of Arusha. Seeing game feeding and ambling with the Tanzania's bustling city in the background is quite extraordinary. There are no lions in the park, while leopards are seldom seen, making this park more of an on-foot activity location.
Arusha National Park offers beautiful landscapes and diverse animal, bird and plant life, waterfalls and lakes, steep cliffs and gorges, swamps and waterholes, providing the ideal sanctuary for animals and plants.
