Most safaris happen from a vehicle seat. This one starts on foot. The Arusha National Park walking safari gives you a morning in the bush with an armed park ranger and a naturalist guide, then an afternoon game drive, and you're back at your hotel in Arusha by late afternoon. The park is about a forty-minute drive from the city, so there's no early flight and no long transfer.
You leave Arusha at about 7:30 AM in a private 4x4. The walk lasts two to three hours and takes you through montane forest and open meadows on the lower slopes of Mount Meru, Africa's fifth-highest peak. On foot you notice things a vehicle drives past: colobus monkeys in the canopy, giraffe and buffalo in the clearings, and birdlife everywhere. The park has over 400 bird species. The ground is undulating, so moderate fitness helps. Bring your own hiking boots, as they aren't provided.
Lunch is a picnic in the park with Mount Meru in view. In the afternoon you drive around the Momella Lakes, where flamingos gather and the mountain reflects in the water on calm days, and stop at the Ngurdoto Crater viewpoint. You're back in Arusha around 4:30 PM. It works well as a spare day before or after a longer safari or a Kilimanjaro climb, and it can be booked from one person. Tell our Arusha team your date and hotel.
Depart Arusha at approximately 7:30 AM for the short drive to the park gate. The morning begins with a two-to-three-hour guided walking safari accompanied by an armed ranger and expert naturalist. After a gourmet picnic lunch in the park, an afternoon game drive covers the Momella Lakes and Ngurdoto Crater viewpoints. Moderate fitness is recommended for the walking portion, which covers undulating terrain. Return to Arusha by approximately 4:30 PM.
