Arusha National Park packs incredible diversity into Tanzania's smallest northern park. What this compact park lacks in size, it makes up for in wildlife, unique activities, and outstanding natural beauty, with Mount Meru, Africa's fifth highest mountain, overlooking the park with magnificent slopes spreading into vast forested hills. The park started as tiny Ngurdoto Crater National Park in the 1960s before expanding to include Mount Meru and taking its current name from the local Waarusha people.
The park comprises lush forest, the beautiful Momella Lakes and the tranquil craters of Ngurdoto and Mount Meru, offering an entrancing diversity of habitats. Unlike other northern parks, Arusha gives you chances to walk among wildlife, paddle on crater lakes, and climb a major mountain all in one place. The park is home to many forest-dwelling animals not often encountered in northern Tanzania, including blue monkey and Kilimanjaro colobus. Most visitors use Arusha as a quick day trip, but smart travelers spend longer to experience activities impossible elsewhere on the northern circuit.
