What to See in Arusha (Tanzania)
According to Countries Please, the city of Arusha is located in the northeastern part of Tanzania at the foot of Mount Meru at an altitude of 1500 m. It was founded in the early 20th century by the Germans as the administrative center of the colony. It now houses the East African Community Center and the International Tribunal for the Rwanda Genocide. Arusha is the starting point for a safari in the northern part of Tanzania. Most of the tourist offices offering trips to the National Parks are located here, and many hotels where tourists can rest before starting the trip. The most popular safari destinations in northern Tanzania are the Serengeti Park, Ngorongoro Game Reserve, Lake Manyara Park and Tarangire Park.
Closest to Arusha is the National Park of the same name. Arusha National Park is quite small, its area is 137 square meters. km. The forests of the park are the only place in northern Tanzania where you can see the Gwertz monkey in close proximity, which spends its whole life in trees. About 570 species of birds have also been recorded here. Mount Meru rises above the park with a height of 4567 m. Tourist routes are laid along its slopes.
50 km northeast of Arusha National Park is Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m). This is the only snow-capped peak in Africa and its highest point. On the slopes of the mountain is located Kilimanjaro National Park, which is famous for its tourist routes to the famous extinct volcano. Climbing it is very difficult and requires serious physical preparation, but they are worth it. Hiking takes about 4-6 days. The most popular routes on Kilimanjaro are Maranga and Mahama. Marangu is considered easier to climb, while Mahame offers paths through forests and wild natural areas.
The northern safari, starting from Arusha, includes Tanzania ‘s main tourist attraction – the Serengeti National Park. It was founded in 1951 and covers an area of 14.8 thousand square meters. km. This is the only national park in the world where natural seasonal migrations of wild animals take place. The peaks of migration occur during the periods from May to July and from January to March. Gazelles, zebras and wildebeest in search of food and water move 800 km throughout the park and beyond, followed by predators. The Serengeti is home to 35 species of mammals, including elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions, giraffes, rhinos, antelopes and zebras. Local landscapes vary from low grassy communities in the south of the park to tall grass savannahs in the center and forested areas in the north. In the Serengeti, there are lakes Lagaya and Magadi, where flocks of flamingos can be seen on the banks. The Ngorongoro Reserve borders the Serengeti.. Its area is 8 thousand square meters. km. The reserve has a huge volcanic caldera – the largest in the world. Its diameter is 22 km, its area is 250 sq. km, and the walls of the caldera rise to a height of 610 m. Lake Magadi is located at the bottom of the caldera. The Maasai people live in the vicinity of the Ngorongoro Crater. By visiting their villages, you can get acquainted with the culture and customs of this ancient people.
Ngorongoro is a very popular place, there are always a lot of cars with tourists. About 30,000 animals live in the reserve – lions, leopards, hyenas, ungulates, hippos, two-horned rhinoceros and many birds. In Ngorongoro, the world-famous Olduvai Gorge is located, where the skulls and bones of a skilled man, about 1.5 million years old, were discovered. The gorge stretches for 8 km and is part of the East African Rift Valley. Here is the Museum of Anthropology and Human Evolution, which presents the remains of the predecessors of modern man, the remains of prehistoric animals and mammoth tusks.
Lake Manyara National Park located next to Ngorongoro. Here you can see rare lions that can climb trees. In the western part of the park is the East African Rift Valley, which rises above the lake. Flamingos, storks and herons live on the shores of the lake. You can watch birds here only from a distance, because it is difficult to move along the banks due to the viscous soil. The park is also open at night for observing nocturnal species of animals.
Just south of Lake Manyara is the Tarangire National Park. Most of it is covered with forests. It is best to go here during the dry season – from July to September, when animals gather along the banks of the river of the same name, which flows through the park. The territory of the park is the only place in Tanzania, where you can see animals such as oryx and giraffe gazelle, which can go without water for a long time.
