Day Trip · 1 days · Private or group
Arusha National Park Day Safari
Forty minutes from town: crater forest, the Momella lakes and their flamingos, giraffe and colobus, and Meru above all of it.
- Duration
- 1 days, 0 nights
- Group
- Private or group
- Activity
- Game drive and optional walking safari
- Starts
- Arusha
- Ends
- Arusha
- Best months
- All year. Clearest views of Meru and Kilimanjaro from June to October and in January and February.
Arusha National Park is the park most visitors drive past on the way to somewhere further. It is about forty minutes from Arusha town, and it is the only park on the northern circuit where you can legally walk with an armed ranger.
It is a different kind of place from Tarangire or the crater. There are no lions here, and that is precisely why walking is allowed. What there is instead is montane forest, the Ngurdoto crater, a chain of alkaline lakes with flamingo on them, black-and-white colobus in the canopy, and Mount Meru standing over the whole park.
It makes a good first or last day, and a good half day if you are short of time. See the rest of our day trips.
Trip highlights
- The Momella lakes, shallow and alkaline, with flamingo and waterbirds on them
- Ngurdoto Crater seen from the forested rim, sometimes called the little Ngorongoro
- Black-and-white colobus monkeys, which you will not reliably see in the other northern parks
- Giraffe, buffalo, bushbuck, warthog and zebra on the open ground
- An optional walking safari with an armed park ranger, which no other northern park allows
- Mount Meru above you all day, and Kilimanjaro on the horizon when the cloud lifts
Day by day
Day 1 Morning: into the park and the crater rim
We collect you around 07:30 and it is a short drive to the gate. We start in the forest and work up to the Ngurdoto crater viewpoints, looking down into a bowl you are not permitted to enter, which is why the wildlife in it is undisturbed.
Meals: Picnic lunch
Day 2 Midday: the Momella lakes
Down to the lakes for the birdlife and the open country around them, with Meru behind. This is where the giraffe are, and where the flamingo are when the water suits them. Picnic lunch by the lakes.
Meals: Picnic lunch
Day 3 Afternoon: walking safari or a last drive
If you have asked for the walking safari, this is when it happens: one to two hours on foot with an armed ranger, at ground level. Otherwise we take a last loop through the park. Back in Arusha in the late afternoon.
Meals: Picnic lunch
What is included
Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Arusha
- Private 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof, fuel and a licensed driver-guide
- Arusha National Park entry and vehicle fees
- Picnic lunch and drinking water
- Government taxes on the above
Not included
- The armed ranger fee for the walking safari, which we add to your quote if you want it
- Flights, visa and travel insurance
- Drinks other than the water provided
- Tips
Before you travel
Pickup and meeting point
We collect you from your hotel, guesthouse or Airbnb anywhere in Arusha town, and from Usa River and the Kilimanjaro Airport road on request. Give us the property name when you book and we confirm the pickup time the evening before. Drop-off is at the same address unless you tell us otherwise.
What to bring
Closed shoes, especially if you are walking. A fleece for the forest, which is cooler than town. Binoculars, which matter more here than in the open parks. Sunscreen and a hat. Insect repellent for the forest sections.
Safety
You travel in a maintained 4x4 with a licensed Tanzanian driver-guide. Seat belts are fitted in every seat. We carry a first aid kit and drinking water, and the guide stays contactable through the day. Travel insurance is not included and we recommend you arrange it before you come. On the walking safari you stay behind the armed ranger and follow his instructions without exception. He decides the route and when to turn back.
Questions about this trip
Are there lions in Arusha National Park?
No. That is why walking safaris are permitted here and not in the other northern parks.
Can we see Kilimanjaro from the park?
On a clear day, yes, from the Momella side. Cloud often covers it from late morning, so the early hours are the best chance.
Is a half day possible?
Yes. A morning covers the crater rim and the lakes. Tell us and we will price it that way.
How much is the walking safari?
It is a park ranger fee, charged per group per walk. We add the current figure to your quote rather than guess at it here.
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Where this trip goes
Book this trip
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