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Although there are neither lions nor rhinos in Arusha National Park, wildlife watching is satisfying, and sightings of elephants, zebras, giraffes and dik-diks are common.
One of my favourite residents is the black-and-white colobus monkey, which is frequently spotted here. Another highlight: the small Momella Lakes, which attract large seasonal flocks of flamingos, plus other water birds. If you are in Arusha and have the time, I recommend Arusha National Park as a convenient and enjoyable day visit or overnight stop
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before heading further afield for your main safari. There is a good range of accommodation in and around Usa River, the park access village, and en route you’ll pass many colourful scenes of local life.
Mountain lakes and Forest Glades
Small it may be, but this gem of a park on Arusha’s doorstep contains Mount Meru (4,565 metres), Tanzania’s second highest mountain after Kilimanjaro. High in the forests are the Momella Lakes, whose sheltered waters attract flamingos and huge flocks of migrating waterfowl. The scenery is stunning – especially looking down from the rim of Ngurdoto – a miniature Ngorongoro with a crater floor measuring three kms across. This is not a Big Five destination although elephant, buffalo and leopard are present; but a day spent exploring its 50 km of forest trails offers a tantalising glimpse of a different world to the plains below, with its own special birds and animals. On my last visit I saw long-crested eagles and a narina’s trogon, watched red forest duikers slipping through the trees and listened to the eerie calls of black-and-white colobus monkeys echoing in the forest glades.
Accessible and under-rated park watched over by Mt Meru
The scenery here is stunning, with the imposing Mount Meru, the second highest mountain in Tanzania after Kilimanjaro, presiding regally over the park in the background. There are great views across the dense woodlands and lakes from some of the park’s higher points, and when the skies are clear (particularly early in the morning and at dusk)
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there are also good views of Kilimanjaro itself. Walking safaris and canoeing trips are both available and good ways to get a little more intimate with the interesting surrounds.Momella Lakes, Painted Pink by Flocks of Flamingo, at the Base of Mt Meru
The game-drive track around the lakes usually offers good views of flocks of flamingo, but the best way to explore the area is by canoe. Giraffe and buffalo are very common and, if you’re lucky, you might see elephants too. There are no lions in the park, but I’ve seen leopard, serval and wild cat. Along the forested road, climbing up to the rim of Ngurdoto Crater, I’ve had many great sightings of beautiful black-and-white colobus monkeys, which you’ll battle to see elsewhere on safari in Tanzania. Another personal favorite
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and special for the park is the delightful Kirk’s dik-dik with its twitchy nose.Wildlife viewing aside, you might want to visit Arusha National Park to climb Mt Meru, Africa’s fifth-highest mountain. On out most recent visit we got a taste of this epic mountain climb as we tackled the full-day guided hike through pristine forest to the Kitoto viewpoint (2,500m/8,200ft), overlooking the spectacular semi-collapsed caldera.
Arusha’s backyard
With so much attention focused on the climb up Kilimanjaro, many travellers forget that Mount Meru (4566m), Tanzania’s second-highest mountain, is the shapelier of the two mountains. And despite its proximity to Arusha, the quiet four-day trails make it less of a scene – it’s on very few visitors’ bucket lists, but that’s only because very few people know about it. This is the quintessential African volcano climb, an opportunity to experience the extraordinary beauty of the Rift Valley rim and its montane forests and fine views, yet it lacks the sometimes-daunting large-scale expedition requirements of Kili just up the road. It’s also less than an hour’s drive from Arusha.
The combination of lakes and altitude ensures that birders will love the opportunity to see flamingos and raptors with some fabulous finds in between. And wildlife is a bonus here, rather than the main event – watch for zebra, giraffe, klipspringer and buffalo, and even elephant, leopard, red duiker and colobus.
A scenic park with a range of interesting habitats in the shadow of Mount Meru
The drive to Arusha National Park was through cultivated coffee bushes, but the landscape abruptly changed to shadowy dense montane forest at the park’s Ngurdoto Gate. (It’s always good to see a large tract of trees, given that most of Tanzania’s hardwood forests have been decimated for firewood). I was delighted to see acrobatic black-and-white colobus monkey, and from the rim of the spectacular Ngurdoto Crater, I could make out buffalo and warthog on the wide marshy floor. Further north, the forest thinned out to grassy hills where I saw giraffe and zebra and a fine view of Mount Meru, and the Momella lakes were lovely, each one a different hue of green or blue. Unless you want to hike on Meru, this is an easy day tip from Arusha, though there aren’t the large numbers of game as the other parks in the Northern Circuit.
Dancing flaming pink flamingos
One of Tanzania’s smallest parks, Arusha National Park is often overlooked by most
safari tourists. Not without reason, as it sadly lacks the big game drawcards of its northern park
neighbours which for me is usually a priority. Having said that, the park is one of the few places
in Tanzania where the black-and-white colobus monkey is easily seen. And what the park lacks
in wildlife, it certainly makes up for with spectacular scenery. Situated between the peaks of
Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru and punctuated by the Momella Lakes, it really is a visual feast
for the eyes. The park’s lakes also are home to seasonal flocks of flaming pick flamingos and are
excellent lures for variety of other birdlife, so twitchers will be well-pleased.