Safari Attractions Found in Arusha National Park
Arusha National Park is one of the top national parks in Tanzania and is known for being easy to visit in northern Tanzania, with many exciting safari spots. The park is located close to Arusha town, making it convenient for visitors. It offers a variety of interesting sights to see all year round, making it a great choice for tourists who are staying nearby and want to experience Tanzanian wildlife without taking along trip. Some of the attractions in Arusha town include, among others, the Ngurdoto crater, Mount Meru, the Momella Lake, and, of course, several wild animal species that roam the park. Today, I’ll share the attractions that you can explore while in Arusha for the most wonderful safari experience. There’s a lot of excitement and wonder that comes with exploring the safari.
Momella lakes
Momella lakes of Arusha is one of the most popular and exciting safari attractions situated in the northeastern part of Arusha National Park. Momella Lakes are consists of seven stunning lakes such as big Momella lake and the small Momella lakes, the Kusare, Lekandihro, Tulusia, and Kkhotoito. These lakes are alkaline, which makes them a special habitat for flamingos; visitors often have the chance to see both lesser and greater flamingos. Aside from the birds, visitors can enjoy canoeing on the lakes, which is done in this great national park, and this is lovely and interesting. During these canoeing safaris, you get close to the wildlife of the Arusha national park and you will have stunning views of Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro, making the experience truly memorable. When kayaking on Momella Lake, travelers are usually accompanied by a guide and a skilled paddler, ensuring safety and a smooth ride. Similar kayaking activities are also available on Lake Duluti and Lake Manyara. bird lovers will also spot other species like pelicans, African fish hawks, delegated falcons, and hawks while visiting Arusha National Park
Ngurudoto crater
Ngurudoto Crater is one of five stunning volcanic calderas found in northern Tanzania’s Arusha region. It’s similar to the more famous Ngorongoro, Maasai, Empakaai, and Olmoti craters. The crater is about 300 meters deep and 3.2 kilometers across. The floor inside Ngurudoto is softer and not suitable for vehicles, so visitors usually explore it on foot through walking safaris. Around the edge of the crater, there is a lush rainforest full of wildlife, making it a wonderful place to experience nature.
Mount Meru
Mount Meru is an inactive volcano situated 70 kilometres west of Kilimanjaro in southeast Arusha Region, Tanzania. It stands at a height of approximately ,562.13 metres (14,968 feet). On clear day, you can see Mount Meru from Kilimanjaro. It’s considered the fifth-highest of the highest mountain peaks of Africa, dependent on how you count. The mountain is a popular spot for tourists, especially those who enjoy hiking. Hiking Mount Meru normally last for four days and the whole mountain can last for about three days. It’s known for its impressive cliffs, diverse wildlife and beautiful green surroundings. The slopes of Mount Meru are home to variety of animals, including elephants, rhinos, giraffes, buffalos, antelopes, white colobus monkeys, and leopards. The area also hosts over 400 different bird species, making it a great destination for nature lovers.
Mini Serengeti
Known locally as ‘Serengeti Ndogo’ (Swahili), the mini-Serengeti is a wide-open grassland inside Arusha National Park. Many animals such as elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, warthogs, and waterbucks come here to graze. When you enter the park through the Ngongongare gate, especially if you’re heading toward Momela, this is the first place you’ll see. It’s one of the few areas in the park with large open plains, and with the number of animals grazing there, it really feels like being in the Serengeti plains.
Ngarenanyuki River (Engare Nanyokie)
This river originating from the montane forest and Meru crater contains a brackish resulting from brown/alkaline water sources from the streams which joins the main river outside the park.
Fig Tree Arch
Fig Tree Arch in Arusha national park is a unique attraction with a natural arch-shaped, tree with an arch large enough for a tree or an elephant to pass through. It’s a popular spot for taking photos because you can capture it from different angles, like standing underneath or with your safari vehicle in the background. The Fig Tree grew from parasitic tree dropped by foraging birds and it is visited while on a Tanzania hiking safari to the Tululusia waterfalls.
Tululusia Hill and waterfall
Tululusia hill meaning “look out point” is a view point that provides an excellent view of the lower areas of Arusha National Park, Mount Meru and the majestic Kilimanjaro. Tululusia Waterfall is found on a narrow-sided valley formed as a result of erosion of a soft volcanic soil leaving behind a steep gorge with the height of 28m (84ft). It’s a home of nesting Red-winged Starlings and having a chance of getting your photos around this natural environment are usually spectacular!
Uwanja wa mbogo (buffaloes’ glade)
Buffalo’s glade is a small open area situated just a little west of the Momela gate on the north eastern part of Arusha national park. It’s located at the base of Mount Meru and is one of the first attractions that hikers to its summit get to see, provided they began hiking at the gate. The glade is a popular spot for animals such as buffalos, giraffes, and warthogs to come and feed. Visitors also use it as a place for walking safaris to observe wildlife up close.
One of the most interesting things about the glades is how the buffalos and warthogs live together peacefully. they rely on each other for survival: warthogs help keep watch for danger. When they spot a threat, warthogs run with their tails held high in the air, which alerts the buffalos nearby. This behavior can often be seen when making towards the glad. Additionally, buffalos feed on tall grass, which helps keep it short, making it easier for warthogs, who are used to feeding while kneeling, to find food.
Wildlife
Arusha National Park is one of the top places to visit when ging on a wildlife safari in northern safari circuit of Tanzania. The park is a home to many different types of animals found in various parts oof the park, such as the Ngurudoto crater (Little Ngorongoro), along the banks of Momella lakes, little Serengeti (Serengeti Ndogo) and Ujambo Wa Mbogo, also known as “buffaloes’ glade”. Visitors can see a wide range of animals there, including giraffes, waterbucks, dik-diks, duikers, zebras, leopards, lion, spotted hyenas, elephants, bush pigs, red duikers, warthogs, hippos, black and white colobus, blue monkeys and more.
Ngurudoto museum
he Ngurudoto Museum is situated on the eastern side of Arusha National Park, right next to the Ngurudoto Crater. The surrounding area is lush with rainforest-type vegetation. The museum was built to display various animals that live inside the Ngurudoto Crater. Inside, you’ll find animal taxidermy, skeletons, remains along with other information about these animals and serves as a good place to learn about them before actually heading out to the crater. The museum also features a souvenir shop, modern flushing toilets, a small car park as well as a rangers post next to it, complete with quarters. The area around it is home to several plant species, with some of these having a plaque on them detailing their information.
Birds
This park is an outstanding Tanzania birding safari destination boosting over 400 bird species recorded to live in the park, the birds in the park include forest species, raptors, water birds and migratory bird species. Birds found in Arusha national park include common ostrich, white-faced whistling duck, fulvous whistling duck, grey crowned crane , red-knobbed coot, lesser and great flamingos, Hartlieb’s bustard, goliath heron, montane nightjar, maccoa duck, pink-backed pelican, red-eyed dove, woolly-necked stork , black heron, black-faced sandgrouse, Egyptian goose, dwarft bitter, Africa swift, Shelley’s francolin, vulturine guineafowl, yellow-throated sandgrouse, hamerkop, coqui francolin, little swift, great egret, ring-necked dove, black-bellied bustard, European nightjar, black-head heron, helmeted guineafowl, little bittern , red-chested flufftail, common swift, intermediate egret, African green pigeon, saddle-bill stork, crested francolin, crested guineafowl, grey heron, European white stork , cattle egret, laughing dove, abdim’s stock, sombre nightjar and Nyanza swift among others.
Besides the mentioned top attractions, there are also other Tourist attractions found at Arusha National Park such as Kilimanjaro view point (Arusha), Ngurdoto Forest, and Cave waterfall among others.