Arusha National Park is the small, varied park between Arusha town and Mount Meru. Most people give it a day. Climbers know it as the way up Meru.
- Region
- Just east of Arusha town
- Managed by
- TANAPA
- From Arusha
- About an hour
- A usual stay
- One day
- Also the start of
- The Mount Meru climb
- You can
- Walk with a ranger, and visit the lakes
The park on the edge of town
Arusha National Park is small and close, which is why it is ignored by people who think a safari only counts past Ngorongoro. Inside it you move from montane forest to open glades to the Momella Lakes, with Mount Meru above you and, on a clear morning, Kilimanjaro across the plain.
TANAPA manages it. The Ngurdoto crater, a smaller volcanic bowl, is inside the park and is looked into rather than driven across the way Ngorongoro is. Black-and-white colobus are the animal people remember from the forest.
A day, not a circuit
From Arusha town the gate is about an hour. A well-paced day can hold the lakes, a forest drive and a ranger walk. Walking is the thing this park does that the Serengeti does not: you get out, with an armed ranger, which has to be arranged. Giraffe are often the close encounter. Buffalo are common and are why you do not wander off alone.
Sleep in Arusha before or after. There is little reason to overnight in the park unless you are starting Mount Meru at the Momella gate.
When to go
Mornings are clearer for the mountains. July to October and the drier weeks of January and February are the easy months. The long rains make the forest tracks muddy and hide the summits, which matters if the view was the reason. The park is still a good walk in the rain if you are already in Arusha and the rest of the week is a wash.
BestGoodQuieter or wetter
Who it suits
People with one day. Families who want a walk rather than a twelve-hour drive. Climbers acclimatising before Kilimanjaro, either as this day or as the Meru climb itself. It pairs cleanly with a Tarangire night if you have a weekend and no more.
Packages that include Arusha National Park
These are the trips in our list that spend time here. A price is the starting price of that trip. A sample trip is a plan we can run. The camps and the price are confirmed when you ask.
-
2-Day Mount Meru Trek2 days · from $450 -
3-Day Mount Meru Climb3 days · from $700 -
3-Day Mount Meru Climb: Arusha's Summit Challenge3 days · from $1,095 - 4-Day Mount Meru Climb4 days · from $900
-
4-Day Mount Meru Climb: Perfect Kilimanjaro Preparation from Arusha4 days · from $1,295
Questions people ask
- A game drive for giraffe, buffalo, zebra and colobus, a stop at the Momella Lakes for flamingos and the view of Kilimanjaro when it is out, and, if you arrange it, a walk with an armed ranger. Canoes on the small Momella lake are sometimes offered. We confirm what is running in that month.
- No. It is forest, lakes and a mountain. It is a beautiful day close to town. It is not a big-cat safari, and we will not describe it as one.
- Yes. The Mount Meru route starts in this park, with a ranger. That is a multi-day climb, not this day trip.
References
The facts on this page were checked against these sources and written in our own words. Gate hours, fees and wildlife numbers change. We link the authority instead of printing a figure that will go stale.
Last reviewed 2026-10-28.
