Arusha

Discover more destinations: Arusha, Monduli, Manyara, Sinoni, Ngorongoro, Loiborsoit, Engare Nanyuki, Kingori, Karangai, Tinga Tinga.

See the overview of the wider destination: Tanzania.

If you are looking for a hotel in Arusha, the nature experiences you have planned can help shape your trip. One particular focus of the region is Arusha National Park. There, you can walk through natural forests, watch wildlife, enjoy activities at the Momella Lakes and go on a four-day mountain hike. The options differ in terms of activity and organisation, so it is worth considering each one individually before choosing where to stay.

Nature experiences and wildlife viewing

Arusha National Park is criss-crossed by a well-maintained, signposted network of roads and trails for wildlife viewing. Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro are often visible. Walks through natural forests offer a different way to experience the park from wildlife viewing along this network. There is a practical requirement for walks in the park: they must be arranged at the gate and accompanied by an armed ranger. Take this organisational requirement into account when planning your activities.

On a walking safari, you may see buffalo, elephants, black-and-white colobus monkeys and giraffes at close range. These are possible sightings, not guaranteed encounters.

Momella Lakes and Ngurdoto

Canoeing and birdwatching are possible at the Momella Lakes. Canoeing on Small Momella Lake is available by prior arrangement. If you would like to choose this activity, plan to make arrangements in advance and confirm before your trip that it is currently operating. This ensures that the specific requirement for Small Momella Lake is taken into account in your plans.

Ngurdoto, a small, complete volcanic crater, lies at the lower end of Arusha National Park. As a volcanic landform, it differs from the park’s natural forests and lakes.

Mountain hike requiring advance planning

A four-day mountain hike in Arusha National Park uses the Miriakamba and Saddle mountain huts. It must be organised in advance through a local tour operator; porters and the accompaniment of an armed ranger are required. Compared with a walk through the natural forests, this tour involves a very different planning decision: in addition to the set duration, you need to take the huts, porters and advance arrangements into account. Confirm the tour details again before your trip.

The wider destination of Tanzania offers additional landscapes and historical points of reference. Kilimanjaro National Park covers about 75,575 hectares. Mount Kilimanjaro rises 4,877 metres above the surrounding plains and reaches 5,895 metres at its summit. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers 809,440 hectares and extends from the plains of Serengeti National Park in the northwest to the eastern arm of the Great Rift Valley. It contains evidence of human evolution and interactions between people and the environment spanning almost four million years, through to the early modern period.