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Arusha National Park
The closest national park to Arusha town –
northern Tanzania’s safari capital – Arusha National Park is a
multi-faceted jewel, often overlooked by safarigoers, despite
offering the opportunity to explore a beguiling diversity of
habitats within a few hours.
The entrance gate leads into shadowy montane
forest inhabited by inquisitive blue monkeys and colourful turacos
and trogons – the only place on the northern safari circuit where
the acrobatic black-and-white colobus monkey is easily seen. In the
midst of the forest stands the spectacular Ngurdoto Crater, whose
steep, rocky cliffs enclose a wide marshy floor dotted with herds of
buffalo and warthog.
Further north, rolling grassy hills enclose the
tranquil beauty of the Momela Lakes, each one a different hue of
green or blue. Their shallows sometimes tinged pink with thousands
of flamingos, the lakes support a rich selection of resident and
migrant waterfowl, and shaggy waterbucks display their large
lyre-shaped horns on the watery fringes. Giraffes glide across the
grassy hills, between grazing zebra herds, while pairs of wide-eyed
dik-dik dart into scrubby bush like overgrown hares on spindly legs.
Although elephants are uncommon in Arusha
National Park, and lions absent altogether, leopards and spotted
hyenas may be seen slinking around in the early morning and late
afternoon. It is also at dusk and dawn that the veil of cloud on the
eastern horizon is most likely to clear, revealing the majestic
snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro, only 50km (30 miles) distant.
But it is Kilimanjaro’s unassuming cousin, Mount Meru - the fifth
highest in Africa at 4,566 metres (14,990 feet) – that dominates the
park’s horizon. Its peaks and eastern footslopes protected within
the national park, Meru offers unparalleled views of its famous
neighbour, while also forming a rewarding hiking destination in its
own right.
Passing first through wooded savannah where
buffalos and giraffes are frequently encountered, the ascent of Meru
leads into forests aflame with red-hot pokers and dripping with
Spanish moss, before reaching high open heath spiked with giant
lobelias. Everlasting flowers cling to the alpine desert, as
delicately-hoofed klipspringers mark the hike’s progress. Astride
the craggy summit, Kilimanjaro stands unveiled, blushing in the
sunrise.
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