Arusha National Park (ANAPA) is a treasure of varied ecosystems and spectacular views of Mt. Meru, the crater that gives the region its name. It is a popular destination for day trip visitors who are about to embark from the town of Arusha on longer northern circuit safaris and Kilimanjaro Climbs. The 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. Game viewing around the Momela Lakes is at a laid-back and quiet pace, and while passing through the forest many visitors stop to search for troupes of rare colobus monkeys playing in the canopy.
Arusha National Park is a multi-faceted jewel, often unnoticed by safari goers, despite offering the opportunity to explore a beguiling diversity of habitats within a few hours. It’s the only place on the northern safari circuit where the acrobatic black-and-white colobus monkey can easily be seen. There are shallows sometimes tinged pink with thousands of flamingos dwelling around the Momela Lakes which support a rich selection of resident and migrant waterfowl, and also shaggy waterbucks that display their large lyre-shaped horns on the watery fringes.
