ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK

This superb national park of 137 km ², created in 1960, which is only 40 minutes from the city centre of Arusha, consists mainly of very wild and dense forests. The Hungarian Count Samuel Teleki von Szek (or Telki, 1845-1916) arrived in the Momela region in 1876, before launching explorations in Kenya. Then the Trappe family installed a large farm in 1907, also practicing hunting. The Trappe gave the region a park status after the Serengeti and Ngorongoro.

Originally called Ngurdoto Crater National Park, he took the name of Arusha in 1967 when the Mount Meru was included. The park is famous for its many varieties of trees, as well as for the many species of birds that inhabit it (flamingos rose, pelicans, ibis, touracos, couronnés eagles, eagle eagles, eagles at Verreaux, not forgetting a multitude of unknown little birds) that researchers come to study for years. He also houses giraffes, zebras, cobes, warthogs, buffalo, elephants, monkeys, colobes, leopards…

Divided into three zones, the park has the Ngurdoto crater area in the south-east, with a diameter of approximately 3 km, which can only be seen from the top, and which looks like a miniature Ngorongoro, except that the rhino were completely wiped out by hunting, and then by poaching. Be careful when you get down to the viewpoint, there is plenty of buffalo. In the northeast, the alkaline lakes of Momela offer a superb view over Kilimanjaro. This corner is inhabited by a large number of birds, including pink flamingos colonies. Between these first two zones, one passes through several ponds where wildlife, particularly the volatile ones, is abundant. Finally, the third zone is the Meru volcano and the hills of Kitoto. There are many torrents, the mountain ruisselante mountain and the densely populated forest. If you don't climb it, at least make a small walking safari with a ranger at the Chutes Falls (1 hour round trip), on the right of the big yellow acacia erected against the first cliff. If you have a 4 x 4 vehicle, take the access trail to the crater plateau, really superb (the trek takes it on the climb). From Arusha, and if you don't want to trek, this beautiful, savage park is visiting one day, starting early in the morning. 5 km after the entrance to the road to Momela, you arrive in the village of Ngare Nanyuki. By asking the road to Mkuru, you can go to the Maasaï village which serves as a base camp for slug walks, animals adapted to the semi-arid plains stretching between Kilimanjaro and Natron lake. As they eat in height, they do not compete with cows or wild animals, and are a perfect means of silent locomotion for an original safari. In general, you will be randonne for 20 km in the morning and walking or resting in the afternoon. This maasaï project allows for the financing of a school (information from the Tourist Office in Arusha).