Arusha National Park covers
Mount Meru
Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु), also known as Sumeru, Sineru or Mahāmeru, is the sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology and is considered to be the centre of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritu ...
, a prominent
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...
with an elevation of 4566 m, in the
Arusha Region
Arusha City is a Tanzanian city and the regional capital of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 in the surrounding Arusha District Council (2012 census).
Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern ...
of north eastern
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
.
The park is small but varied with spectacular landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crater funnels the Jekukumia River; the peak of Mount Meru lies on its rim.
Ngurdoto Crater in the south-east is
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...
. The shallow
alkaline Momella Lakes in the north-east have varying
algal
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mi ...
colours and are known for their
wading bird
245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots
Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...
s.
Mount Meru is the second highest peak in Tanzania after
Mount Kilimanjaro, which is just 60 km away and forms a backdrop to views from the park to the east. Arusha National Park lies on a 300-kilometre axis of Africa's most famous national parks, running from
Serengeti
The Serengeti ( ) ecosystem is a Geography of Africa, geographical region in Africa, spanning northern Tanzania. The protected area within the region includes approximately of land, including the Serengeti National Park and several game res ...
and
Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (, ) is a protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Ngorongoro District, west of Arusha City in Arusha Region, within the Crater Highlands geological area of northern Tanzania. The area is na ...
in the west to
Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro National Park is a Tanzanian national park, located south of the equator and in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. The park is located near the region of Moshi. The park includes the whole of Mount Kilimanjaro above the tree line and th ...
in the east.
The park is just a few kilometres north east of
Arusha
Arusha City is a Tanzanian city and the regional capital of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 in the surrounding Arusha District Council (2012 census).
Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern bran ...
, though the main gate is 25 km east of the city. It is also 58 km from
Moshi and 35 km from
Kilimanjaro International Airport
Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) is an international airport located in Hai District, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. The airport serves the cities of Arusha and Moshi. The airport handled 802,731 passengers in 2014 and mainly serves re ...
(KIA).
Wildlife
Arusha National Park has a rich variety of wildlife, but visitors shouldn't expect the same game-viewing experience they find in other national parks of Tanzania's northern circuit. Despite the small size of the park, common animals include
giraffe
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...
,
Cape buffalo,
zebra
Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zeb ...
,
warthog
''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly co ...
, the
black-and-white colobus monkey, the
blue monkey
The blue monkey or diademed monkey (''Cercopithecus mitis'') is a species of Old World monkey native to Central and East Africa, ranging from the upper Congo River basin east to the East African Rift and south to northern Angola and Zambia. It ...
,
flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbea ...
,
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
,
bushbuck
The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus'') is a common and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa.Wronski T, Moodley Y. (2009)Bushbuck, harnessed antelope or both? ''Gnusletter'', 28(1):18-19. Bushbuck are found in a wide ra ...
and many other African animals.
Leopard populations are present, but rarely seen. Birdlife in the forest is prolific, with many forest species more easily seen here than elsewhere on the tourist route -
Narina trogon
__NOTOC__
The Narina trogon (''Apaloderma narina'') is a largely green and red, medium-sized (32–34 cm long), bird of the family Trogonidae. It is native to forests and woodlands of the Afrotropics. Though it is the most widespread and cat ...
and
bar-tailed trogon
The bar-tailed trogon (''Apaloderma vittatum'') is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is a resident bird to central Africa that eats primarily insects and fruits.
Description
The bar-tailed trogon averages about long. The bill and f ...
are both possible highlights for visiting birders, whilst the range of
starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus ''Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...
species provide somewhat less gaudy interest.
Gallery
File:Zebra Arusha NP - 2015-01-10 - 07-06-08.jpg, Zebra Arusha NP 2015
File:Giraffe zebra and buffalo Arusha NP 2015 - 2015-01-10.jpg, alt=Arusha NP, Young giraffe with zebra and cape buffalo.
File:Blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis), Arusha National Park 2015 - 2015-01-10 - 02-26-26.jpg, Blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis), Arusha National Park (2015)
File:Arusha National Park Landscape.jpg, The Landscape.
File:Arusha National Park- Jungle Road.jpg, A jungle road.
File:Arusha National Park- Flamingos at Momella Lake.jpg, Flamingos at the Momella Lake.
File:Arusha National Park- Flamingos at Momella Lake 2.jpg, The Lake Momella
File:Giraffes Arusha Tanzania.jpg, Giraffes in the Arusha National Park.
File:Arusha-NatPark-Ngurdoto-Crater.jpg, The Ngurdoto Crater.
File:Colobus guereza Mantelaffen.JPG, The Colobus guereza.
File:Directional sign within Arusha National Park 2015-01-10.jpg, Directional sign within Arusha National Park 2015
References
External links
Tanzania ParksField guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Arusha National Park
{{Authority control
Mount Meru (Tanzania)
National parks of Tanzania
Geography of Arusha Region
Protected areas established in 1960
1960 establishments in Tanganyika
Tourist attractions in the Arusha Region
Important Bird Areas of Tanzania