Arusha National Park

Arusha National Park gives you the opportunity to explore nature at its closest. There are good
trekking facilities along the climbing route. The route passes through diverse habitats: swamps,
openplains, montane forests and volcanoes, all packed within a distance of 35 km. The most
striking landmarks are Mount Meru and the Ngurdoto caldera, formed after volcanic eruptions
between 1 and 3 million years ago.

Mount Meru hasn’t put on a show in over a century, but 6,000 years ago a huge explosion blew
away the eastern edge,causing a massive landslide. It is also how the mesmerizing north-eastern
Momela Lakes were born.

The park has an incredible variety of fauna and flora, which cannot fail to impress. Hollywood
also chose this region to film the movie “Hatari” in which Hardy Kruger starred alongside the
legendary John Wayne. Your day trip will include a visit to the Ngurdo Crater. Buffaloes,
waterbucks, giraffes, warthogs, zebras and baboons can be seen all year round as well as many
different bird species.

Due to different levels of alkalinity, each of these seven lakes boasts its own spectacular
greenish-blue tone. The water is dotted pink with lesser and greater flamingos, while every now
and then you might meet the eyes of a hippopotamus. The extinct Ngurdoto volcano in the east is
home to a mini Ngorongoro.

Looking down from the crater rim you see montane forests – keep an eye open for the majestic
Fig Tree Arch – while an open, swampy bottom spreads out below it, at an altitude of around
1,470 metres.

The extinct Ngurdoto volcano is home to a mini Ngorongoro
The entire park is full of life. You will encounter herds of buffalos (the park’s most abundand
species), zebra and giraffe often, but warthog, waterbuck, pairs of dik-dik and reedbuck are also
frequent sights. Other mammals roaming the area are the elusive aardvark, the bush pig and the
crested porcupine. The low braying call of the silvery-cheeked hornbill regularly penetrates the
silence, just as the harsh rhythmic cry of the endangered black and white colobus monkey. And
this is not the only acrobat in the dense forest; there are also plenty of vervet monkeys, blue
monkeys and olive baboons to be seen. The well-trained spotter’s