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Arusha National Park
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.
The entrance gate leads
into shadowy montane forest inhabited by
inquisitive blue monkeys and colourful
turacos and trogons – the only place on the
northern safari circuit where the acrobatic
black-and-white colobus monkey is easily
seen. In the midst of the forest stands the
spectacular Ngurdoto Crater, whose steep,
rocky cliffs enclose a wide marshy floor
dotted with herds of buffalo and warthog.
Further north, rolling
grassy hills enclose the tranquil beauty of
the Momela Lakes, each one a different hue
of green or blue. Their shallows sometimes
tinged pink with thousands of flamingos, the
lakes support a rich selection of resident
and migrant waterfowl, and shaggy waterbucks
display their large lyre-shaped horns on the
watery fringes. Giraffes glide across the
grassy hills, between grazing zebra herds,
while pairs of wide-eyed dik-dik dart into
scrubby bush like overgrown hares on spindly
legs.
Although elephants are
uncommon in Arusha National Park, and lions
absent altogether, leopards and spotted
hyenas may be seen slinking around in the
early morning and late afternoon. It is also
at dusk and dawn that the veil of cloud on
the eastern horizon is most likely to clear,
revealing the majestic snow-capped peaks of
Kilimanjaro, only 50km (30 miles) distant.
But it is Kilimanjaro’s
unassuming cousin, Mount Meru - the fifth
highest in Africa at 4,566 metres (14,990
feet) – that dominates the park’s horizon.
Its peaks and eastern footslopes protected
within the national park, Meru offers
unparalleled views of its famous neighbour,
while also forming a rewarding hiking
destination in its own right.
Passing first through
wooded savannah where buffalos and giraffes
are frequently encountered, the ascent of
Meru leads into forests aflame with red-hot
pokers and dripping with Spanish moss,
before reaching high open heath spiked with
giant lobelias. Everlasting flowers cling to
the alpine desert, as delicately-hoofed
klipspringers mark the hike’s progress.
Astride the craggy summit, Kilimanjaro
stands unveiled, blushing in the sunrise.
About Arusha National Park
Size: 137 sq km (53 sq
miles).
Location: Northern
Tanzania, northeast of Arusha town.
How To Get there
An easy 40-minute drive
from Arusha. Approximately 60 km (35 miles)
from Kilimanjaro International Airport. The
lakes, forest and Ngurdoto Crater can all be
visited in the course of a half-day outing
at the beginning or end of an extended
northern safari.
Activities
Forest walks, numerous
picnic sites;
three- or four-day Mt Meru
climb - good acclimatisation for
Kilimanjaro.
When to go
To climb Mt Meru,
June-February although it may rain in
November.
Best views of Kilimanjaro
December-February.
Accommodation
A lodge, two rest houses,
camp sites, two mountain huts inside the
park; two lodges at Usa River outside the
park and many hotels and hostels in Arusha
town.
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