Arusha National Park

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What is the size of the park: 552 sq km (212 sq miles)
When was it established: 1960
What is the distance from Arusha: 25 km (15 miles)

Most popular tours visiting Arusha National Park:
> Impressive Tanzania, 5 day Lodge Safari from on request pp sharing / fb
> Best of Tanzania, 7 day Lodge Safari from on request pp sharing / fb
> Tanzania in Style, 8 day Luxury Safari from 3,990 USD pp sharing / fb

Arusha National Park is a relatively small park, covering an area of 137 square kilometers (52.9 square miles), and lies near the town of Arusha. The town and the Park derive their name from the Warusha people who traditionally lived in this area. However the Park also overlaps into areas where the Maasai lived and most of the place names in the Park are of Maasai origin. Arusha National Park lies on a 300-kilometre axis of Africa’s most famous national parks, running from Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in the west to Kilimanjaro National Park in the east. The park is just a few kilometres north east of Arusha, though the main gate is 25 km east of the city. It is also 58 km from Moshi and 35 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).

It is situated in a densely inhabited part of Tanzania, where demands for land are high, and parts of the Park are already bordered by agricultural settlement. Plans to extend the Park to include surrounding forest reserves have been formulated to ensure the long-term survival of forest habitats and their associated species within the Park.

The park is small but varied with spectacular landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crater funnels the Jekukumia River; the peak of Mount Meru lies on its rim. Ngurdoto Crater in the south-east is grassland. The shallow alkaline Momella Lakes in the north-east have varying algal colours and are known for their wading birds.

Arusha National Park has a rich variety of wildlife. Despite the small size of the park, common animals include giraffe, buffalo, zebra, warthog, the black-and-white colobus monkey, the blue monkey, flamingos and more.

A popular day trip for visitors about to embark from the town of Arusha on longer northern circuit safaris.