Arusha National Park: A Day Beneath Mount Meru

Often overlooked in favor of the northern circuit's bigger names, Arusha National Park packs an outsized variety of scenery into a small, easily driveable area just outside the city. The Momella Lakes, a chain of shallow alkaline lakes at the park's northern end, regularly attract flocks of flamingos and are one of the few spots in Tanzania where visitors can canoe on the water itself, paddling within sight of grazing buffalo and wallowing hippos. Elsewhere, the montane forest of the Ngurdoto Crater rim is home to troops of black-and-white colobus monkeys, while the open grasslands support giraffe, zebra, and warthog in easy view of the road. On clear mornings, Mount Meru's peak and — further off — Kilimanjaro itself are visible from the park's viewpoints, making this a scenic and wildlife-rich half-day or full-day trip that works well as a gentle introduction to Tanzania's parks or a relaxed add-on before or after a trek up Meru.