Arusha, a small town in the northern part of Tanzania, is the start of most safaris in the northern circuit. Home to Arusha National Park, Arusha is a place where you can overnight or spend a day or two gently easing into your safari.
The lovely 52 square mile Arusha National Park allows you to view, in a few hours, a wonderful diversity of habitats including Ngurdoto Crater, the Momela Lakes (each one a different hue of green or blue) and Mt. Meru. Forests, swamps, alkaline lakes and rocky terrain are all here to enjoy. Canoeing on the lake is particularly pleasant.
Although elephants are uncommon in Arusha National Park, and lions absent altogether, leopards and spotted hyenas may be seen slinking around in the early morning and late afternoon. It is here that you can most easily see the acrobatic black and white colobus monkey. The lakes support a rich selection of waterfowl and at times are home to thousands of flamingos. Shaggy waterbucks with their lyre-shaped horns roam the fringes of the lakes.
