GAME PARKS AND RESERVES

ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK

The closest national park to Arusha town – northern Tanzania’s safari capital – Arusha National Park (Size: 137 sq km) is a multi-faceted jewel, often overlooked by safari goers, despite offering the opportunity to explore a beguiling diversity of habitats within a few hours. The entrance gate leads into shadowy montane forest inhabited by inquisitive blue monkeys and colourful turacos and trogons.

During dusk and dawn, when the veil of cloud on the eastern horizon is most likely to clear, one gets a majestic snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro. But it is Kilimanjaro’s unassuming cousin, Mount Meru - the fifth highest in Africa at 4,566 metres (14,990 feet) – that dominates the park’s horizon. Its peaks and eastern footslopes protected within the national park, Meru offers unparalleled views of its famous neighbour, while also forming a rewarding hiking destination in its own right.

Among the game to expect here are: giraffes, buffaloes, elephants, colobus and blue monkeys, dikdiks among a host of birds.