Day trip in Arusha National Park:

Arusha National Park can be reached by means of an easy 60-minute drive northwest from Moshi or 30 minutes from Arusha. Despite the closeness of this National Park to Arusha, this National Park is probably one of the least visited, making it a wonderful and rewarding off-the-beaten-track excursion. Covering 137 sq km, the Arusha National Park has three major attractions which can all be visited in the course of a day outing.

Arusha National Park covers Mount Meru, a prominent Volcano with an elevation of 4566 m, in the Arusha region of north-eastern Tanzania. The park is small but varied, with spectacular landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crater funnels the Jekukumia River; the peak of Mount Meru lies on its rim. Ngurudoto crater in the south-east is grassland. The shallow alkaline Momella Lakes in the north-east have varying algal colours and are known for their wading birds

Mount Meru is the second-highest peak in Tanzania after Mount Kilimanjaro, which is just 60 km away and forms a backdrop to views from the park to the east. Arusha National Park lies on a 300-kilometre axis of Africa’s most famous national parks, running from Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in the west to Kilimanjaro National Park in the east.

Arusha National Park has a wide variety of wildlife, but visitors shouldn’t expect the same game-viewing experience they find in other national parks of Tanzania’s northern circuit. Despite the small size of the park, common animals include giraffe, Cape buffalo, zebra, warthog, the black and white colobus monkeys, the blue monkey, the flamingo elephant, and many other African animals. Leopard and lion populations are present, but rarely seen. Birdlife in the forest is prolific, with many forest species more easily seen here than elsewhere on the tourist route – Narina trogon and bar-tailed trogon are both possible highlights for visiting birders, whilst the range of starling species provides somewhat less gaudy interest