This is not just a quick drive around some greenery near a city; this is real Arusha National Park Safari where you can dip into a world that literally takes your breath away when compared to the rugged pathways and villages you traveled to get there.
When it comes to expectations, you probably thought this would be simpler. By the end of the day, all that will likely remain is a bittersweet reminiscence of an East Africa off the beaten track: raw, untamed, and far more beautiful than any words can capture.
For those who want to explore the park, the only prerequisite is a booking for accommodation in Arusha or Moshi because the park is reachable from there which makes this part of wilderness extremely convenient as it can be accessed in under one hour. Even the drive offers a ton of relief through monotony because of the stunning evergreen bursting transitions.
Think of peering over Meru Mountain’s jagged edge, standing beneath the canopy of a rainforest, wild giraffes grazing broad savanna grasslands, and then taking a canoe ride where you drift past hippos. All this is just a fraction of what can be experienced in a single day.
The Arusha National Park safari begins at approximately seven in the morning. After having breakfast, you are collected by your driver-guide and your journey begins past small farms and open fields, including banana plantations. If the weather is clear, you will be greeted by Mount Meru, which is an astonishing sight as it is a volcano that emerges majestically on your way.
When you arrive at Ngongongare Gate, you will sign in, receive a briefing, and begin your forest drives for the day. The drives include watching colobus monkeys, leisurely cruising around the Momella Lakes, and grazing on the grassy plains adjacent to the lower slopes of Meru.
Based on your interests and the season, you may opt for a short canoe trip, walking safari with an armed ranger, or both. You will then head back to the lodge situated at Arusha or Moshi, looking dusty and quiet compared to the energetic self you had set out as.
What to Anticipate
Your driver-guide collects you between 7 and 7:30 a.m.
While in Arusha city, you observe small businesses opening, women heading to the market, schoolchildren dressed in bright uniforms. These are the types of details you forget to anticipate but do recall later.
For those based in Arusha, the drive to Ngongongare Gate is roughly 40 minutes and for those Moshi, it is a little over an hour.
Once there, you sign the register and listen to a brief safety briefing. While your guide takes care of the necessary documentation, you listen to blue monkeys chattering in the branches above and notice bushbuck moving gracefully at the edge of the forest.
The initial hours in the park can feel very private. The path meanders through dense woodland and the sunlight catches on the dust.
Colobus monkeys are often seen in this area, and their long tails swiping the leaves. A small family group can be seen slowly leaping from branch to branch in slow arcs.
You can also expect to see hornbills and turacos, as well as bee-eaters.
You come upon the series of lakes called Momella after a spell of forest walking. The water is pale green or milky blue depending on seasons. The lakes are often home to flamingos which add to the beauty of the lake.
You would want to get out and stand quietly for this sight: a heron stalking something in the shallows, hippos surfacing in smooth arcs, and perfect reflections of clouds shimmer alongside the line of shore which makes a person squint to differentiate between the sky and water.
A park ranger meets you at the lakeshore if you chose to canoe. The canoe trip starts from the lakes and is a drift rather than paddle. It is more like a gentle drift than a paddle, offering vistas most people never get to experience.
After visiting the lakes, you will drive towards the rim of the Ngurdoto Crater. This isn’t a crater you go down into, but rather a view you gaze into.
The forest is steep and dense, creating a closed world sheltering herbivores, nourishing buffalo and wandering elephants. The viewpoint from the Ngurdoto Crater is oddly high, almost like looking into a dollhouse.
Sandwiches, fruit, and a drink is the standard offering for lunch and is often attracted dinner. Meru guide will make sure that you enjoy every step of the way, picking out remarkable locations where you can view the entire breadth spanning until Mt. Meru.
Lunch might seem dull, but looking out towards Meru mountain while sipping on some chilled drinks makes it easier to put aside all the mundane thoughts giving you peace of mind relaxation as a songbird breaks the silence with their tunes and the sweet fragrance of warm grass acts as an add on.
After Meru, you may head towards more open grasslands where you can see Serengeti Ndogo. The name itself translates to ‘little Serengeti’ which it for sure claims to be.
Amongst the scattered herds of zebra you may be able to view tall groups of giraffes, speedy blurring warthogs, and swift moving zebras.
The overwhelming feel of unhurried touches permeates through this portion of the park makes it special and adds a type of freedom to it.
If pre booked, you may take a short but informative walk with a ranger which will be fully guided.
Walking gives you a new perspective, with every sound being sharper and every movement more vivid. You will learn how to look for tracks. To notice the way grass bends when something passes, and to read the landscape in a way that is both new yet oddly familiar.
Around mid- to late afternoon, you start driving back towards Arusha or Moshi.
Now the roads seem more familiar. The farms, the fields, the kids waving as you pass by – all feel like a part of a day that somehow became more than what you expected.
You reach the hotel feeling good yet tired, perhaps replaying small moments like the view of Mount Meru shaped above the trees, a kingfisher flashing in the sunlight, and the hush that enveloped the moment you stepped out of the car to listen.
Step into the heart of Africa. Witness Tanzania’s wild wonders up close. Your soul-stirring safari begins here.
Address: 7th Floor, Market Street, Arusha – Tanzania
Phone: +255 767-837-026
Email: book@ngorongorocratersafaris.com
