Arusha
Arusha is the starting town for most northern Tanzania safaris. It sits below Mount Meru, about an hour by road from Kilimanjaro International Airport.
- Best time
- All year.
- Time to allow
- One night
- Altitude
- about 1,400 m
Arusha lies on the southern slopes of Mount Meru, at about 1,400 metres, on the eastern edge of the Rift Valley. Tanzania National Parks has its headquarters here and calls the city the safari centre of northern Tanzania.
It matters beyond safari too. The East African Community is based in Arusha, and the Arusha Declaration was signed here in 1967. If you have a spare hour, the Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre is a large, privately run gallery of African art, Tingatinga paintings among it.
Getting there and on
Kilimanjaro International Airport is about an hour away by road, and Arusha Airport, on the west side of the city, handles regional flights. Arusha National Park is under an hour from the city, and the road to Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti starts here.