The Arusha National Park (Hifahdi ya Taifa ya Arusha, in Swahili) is a national park in Tanzania. It is classified as IUCN category II and is located in the Meru District and Arusha Rural District of the Arusha Region. The park includes Mount Meru, an important volcano that reaches an elevation of 4566 meters.

Overview

The national park, though small compared to other parks in Tanzania, has a wide variety of landscapes across three different ecoregions. To the west, the Meru Crater guides the flow of the Jekukumia River, with Mount Meru standing tall on its edge. In the southeast, the Ngurdoto Crater has large grasslands. In the northeast, the shallow, alkaline Momella Lakes show bright colors from algae and are known for having many wading birds.

Mount Meru is the second tallest mountain in Tanzania, after Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 60 kilometers away and can be seen from the park to the east. Arusha National Park is located along a 300-kilometre line that connects Africa’s most famous national parks, starting from Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in the west to Kilimanjaro National Park in the east. The park is a few kilometers northeast of Arusha, though the main entrance is 25 kilometers east of the city. It is also 58 kilometers from Moshi and 35 kilometers from Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).

History

The history of Arusha National Park begins with the Rwa people, who were the first to live in the area. Their presence in the region came before European countries explored and controlled it. In 1876, a Hungarian explorer named Count Teleki visited the Momella area, which is now a popular part of the park. He noted that there were many hippos and black rhinos in the area.

In 1907, the Trappe family from England moved to the park during the time when Britain controlled the Tanganyika Territory. They used parts of the land for farming and raising cattle in Momella. Mrs. Trappe, who was the first woman in East Africa to work as a professional hunter, gave a large part of the Momella estate to create a game reserve. This land became part of the park when it was officially established in 1960.

At first, the park was called Ngurdoto Crater National Park and covered only a small area, mainly to protect the Ngurdoto Crater. Mount Meru was not included in the park’s boundaries at that time. In 1967, the park’s name changed to Arusha National Park after the area around Mount Meru was added. The name "Arusha" comes from the Waarusha people, who lived in the western part of the region. After Tanzania became independent, the park was officially created, and Mount Meru was fully included in its boundaries.

Ecology

Arusha National Park has many different types of animals, but visitors may not see as many large animals as they might in other parks in Tanzania's northern circuit. Even though the park is small, it is home to common animals such as giraffes, Cape buffalo, zebras, warthogs, black-and-white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, flamingos, elephants, bushbucks, and other African animals. Leopards live in the park, but they are very hard to spot. The forest has many birds, and some types of birds that live in forests are easier to see here than in other areas visited by tourists. Examples include the Narina trogon and the bar-tailed trogon, which are exciting sights for birdwatchers. The park also has many species of starlings, which add variety to the bird population.

Gallery

• Photo Gallery
• Zebra in Arusha National Park, 2015
• Young giraffe with zebra and cape buffalo.
• Blue Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) in Arusha National Park, 2015
• Scenic Landscape
• A Road Through the Jungle
• Flamingos at Momella Lake
• Momella Lake
• Giraffes in Arusha National Park
• Ngurdoto Crater
• Colobus Guereza
• Directional Sign in Arusha National Park, 2015