Arusha National Park Safari Guide – Scenic Park With Mount Meru and Momela Lakes
A popular day trip for visitors about to embark from the town of Arusha on longer northern circuit safaris, Arusha National Park is home to a variety of habitats with spectacular views of Mt. Meru, the crater that gives the region its name. This 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.
At only 137 sq. km (53 sq. miles) in size 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. After passing through wooded savannah where buffalos and giraffes are frequently seen, the ascent of Meru leads into forests aflame with red-hot pokers and dripping with Spanish moss, before reaching high open heath spiked with giant lobelias. Everlasting flowers cling to the alpine desert, as delicately-hoofed klipspringers mark the hike’s progress.