Arusha National Park is a popular destination for day-trip visitors who are about to embark on longer northern circuit safaris from the town of Arusha. 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 many visitors stop to search for troops of rare colobus monkeys playing in the canopy while passing through the forest.h

Visitors to Arusha National Park can enjoy climbing Mt. Meru or exploring the smaller trails that criss-cross its lower slopes. The three-day trek to reach the crater’s summit is a quieter and, some say, more challenging alternative to the famous peak of nearby Mount Kilimanjaro. Along the lower slopes, the paths to rivers and waterfalls create a relaxing day hike for visitors who don’t want to attempt the rather arduous climb. Ancient fig tree forests, crystal clear waters cascading from mountain streams, and a chance to spot colobus monkeys are among the attractions and pleasures of Arusha National Park.

Arusha National Park is the closest national park to Arusha town, which is northern Tanzania’s safari capital. It is a multi-faceted jewel that is often overlooked by safari-goers, despite offering the opportunity to explore a beguiling diversity of habitats within a few hours.

The entrance gate leads into a shadowy montane forest inhabited by inquisitive blue monkeys and colorful 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 with a different hue of green or blue. Sometimes, the shallows are tinged pink with thousands of flamingos. The lakes support a rich selection of resident and migrant waterfowl, as well as shaggy waterbucks that 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 bushes like overgrown hares on spindly legs.

Although elephants are uncommon in Arusha National Park, and lions are 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, which are only 50km (30 miles) away. However, it is Kilimanjaro’s unassuming cousin, Mount Meru – the fifth highest mountain in Africa at 4,566 meters (14,990 feet) – that dominates the park’s horizon. With its peaks and eastern foot slopes protected within the national park, Meru offers unparalleled views of its famous neighbor 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 highly 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, blushinghh