Arusha National Park (ANAPA) is a gem of varied ecosystems and spectacular views of Mt. Meru, the crater that gives the region its name

It is a popular destination for day trip visitors who are about to embark from the town of Arusha on longer northern circuit safaris. The small national park includes the slopes, summit, and ash cone of Mt. Meru, the Momela Lakes, Ngurdoto Crater, and the lush highland forests that blanket its lower slopes. Game viewing around the Momela Lakes is at a laid-back and quiet pace, and while passing through the forest many visitors stop to search for troupes of rare colubus monkeys playing in the canopy.

Situated just a short drive from Arusha and Moshi, Arusha National Park is one of Tanzania’s most convenient parks and is a fantastic destination for a day trip and makes for a great beginning or end to any Tanzanian itinerary.

Arusha National Park hosts a wide variety of landscapes, ranging from vast savannah and rainforest through to acacia woodlands and up to alpine vegetation on the higher reaches of Mount Meru.

At just over 200 square miles, Arusha National Park has great wildlife densities, and it is home to the world’s largest population of giraffe. Black and white colobus monkeys, the Vervet monkeys, the red forest duikers, hippos, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, bushbucks. Leopards are rare. Hosting to more than 400 numbers of bird species it is a grand choice for the bird lovers.

Arusha National Park can generally be explored in a day and is a great stand-alone adventure due to its proximity to Arusha and Moshi, and thanks to its small size. It also pairs well with longer itineraries on the northern safari circuit, including the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park.