Arusha

With an area of about 137 kmq, Arusha National Park is one of the smaller and most beautiful National Parks in Tanzania. Situated about 60 km from Arusha town, the park is very popular for day trips. The Ngurdoto Crater, Momela Lakes, the highland montane forest, and the rugged Mount Meru (4575 m above sea level) are the four distinctive features of the park. Mt. Kilimanjaro, towering at 5895 m to the east, is visible on clear days from many locations in the park. One of the unique attractions of the park is the opportunity to combine game drives and a nature walk. The most common animals found in this park are the Abyssinian black and white colobus monkeys, the velvet monkeys, the red forest duikers, hippos, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, bushbucks and sometimes the leopards. More than 400 species of birds have been recorded in the park including Eurasian migrants, which can be seen between october and april. The park was also made famous by the film “Hatari” documented in 1962 by Howard Hawks.