137 km²
Size
10-26°C, cooler on the Meru side
Temperature
1,400-4,566 m at Meru summit
Altitude
Montane forest on Meru, open grassland around the Momella Lakes
Climate
Arusha National Park sits on the doorstep of town: Meru's forest, the Momella Lakes, and giraffe on a grassland you can reach in forty-five minutes from the city. It is the park we use when a flight lands at noon and the Serengeti is still a day away.
Fig tree forest, black-and-white colobus, and the chance of an armed-ranger walk to the waterfall are the reasons to come, not the Big Five checklist. Buffalo and giraffe are common. Lion are scarce. Canoeing on Momella, when it is operating, is quiet in a way a pop-roof vehicle is not.
Mount Meru (4,566 m) is the mountain locals actually train on before Kilimanjaro. A three- or four-day Meru climb is a serious trek, not a park day trip. Most of our safari guests only do the lower forest and lakes.
Stay in Arusha the night before an early safari, then use this park as a half day if you cannot face a hotel transfer and a nap. It also works at the end of the safari and Zanzibar trip when you have a leftover morning before the Zanzibar flight.
Things to See & Do
Getting There
Road
From Arusha city it is 35 to 45 minutes to the main gate. We collect from town hotels and from the Kilimanjaro or Arusha...
Wildlife you can see here
All 13 speciesBovids
African Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
A heavy, dangerous grazer that lives in herds of hundreds.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +7 more
Ungulates
Masai Giraffe
Giraffa tippelskirchi
The tallest animal on Earth, and Tanzania's national animal.
Serengeti, Tarangire +7 more
Ungulates
Plains Zebra
Equus quagga
A striped grazer that leads the Great Migration alongside wildebeest.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +6 more
Ungulates
Common Warthog
Phacochoerus africanus
A tusked, bristly grazer that trots away with its tail straight up.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +6 more
Primates
Vervet Monkey
Chlorocebus pygerythrus
A small grey monkey with a black face and sky-blue skin.
Tarangire, Lake Manyara +4 more
Primates
Blue Monkey
Cercopithecus mitis
A dark, forest-dwelling monkey that eats fruit high in the canopy.
Arusha, Lake Manyara +4 more
Primates
Black-and-white Colobus
Colobus guereza
A striking black monkey with a flowing white cape and tail.
Arusha, Mount Kilimanjaro +3 more
Waterbirds
Lesser Flamingo
Phoeniconaias minor
Pink flocks that turn East African soda lakes into a moving carpet.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara +2 more
Best Time to Visit
FAQs
Can I see Kilimanjaro from here?
On a clear morning from certain viewpoints, yes, with Meru in the foreground. Cloud often sits down by 10 a.m.
Is it worth it if I already have Tarangire and Serengeti?
Only if you have spare time, want colobus and forest, or need a gentle first game drive with children. Do not cut a Serengeti night to squeeze it in.
Do we need a walking ranger?
For the waterfall and canoe-related walks, yes. We book the ranger with the park, not on the fly at the gate if the morning is busy.
Safaris Visiting Arusha National Park
Add Lake Manyara National Park to Your Safari
The route is ours to design — you just pick the places that call you.
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