Arusha National Park: Skip or Visit during your safari?
Often overlooked and skipped on the classic Tanzania safari itinerary this park still has plenty to offer for people having & taking the time to pay a visit. An Arusha National Park visit can depending on your interest be a real treat. Having said that for the average visitors this park is the easiest to leave out of your intinerary.
With the bonus of having pretty decent roads, you do not strictly need a safari vehicle to navigate this park. I have even spotted some enthusiastic budget travelers roping a city taxi in driving them around with his Corolla. Although I am sure the car suffered and I don’t think it was a particularly good deal for the taxi driver: everyone made it out alive. Of course, besides the 4 by 4 capabilities of the safari cars – a big advantage is also the pop open roof so you have better visibility. And that comes in especially handy in the Arusha Park where visibility is not always optimal.
Reasons to visit Arusha National Park:
- Black & White Colobus Monkey
- Views/drive on Mount Meru
- Very high giraffe population
- White baboon
- Closest Park to Arusha
- Only park where you can organize a walking safari without having to stay overnight inside the park
- Only park where you can do a Canoe Safari
Reasons to skip Arusha National Park:
- From all the parks in North Tanzania: this one is most like a European forest. It will very likely not be the first experience you will talk about when people ask you: How was Africa?
- You will NOT see some of the iconic African wildlife like lions, leopards, and also elephants are extremely rare.
- It is very forestry so you will not always have a great view on the wildlife. Unless you are very keen on birds; the experience can be slightly underwhelming for people looking for a classic Africa experience.
- Seeing as you have most likely limited amount of times/funds to spend on your trip this would be the park best skipped.
Arusha National Park
Summary
An Arusha National Park visit can depending on your interest be a real treat. Having said that for the average visitors this park is the easiest to leave out of your intinerary
This rating is as always complexly subjective and only based only on my personal opinion and experience.
Are you looking for an off-the-beaten-track experience in Tanzania that is a bit more adventurous then Arusha National Park? Check out what we have written about Enduimet.