Arusha

Located in the northern highlands of Tanzania, beneath the twin peaks of Mt. Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, Arusha is the safari capital of the country. Guests embarking on the popular northern safari circuit all stop in the ‘Geneva of Africa’ to prepare for their journeys into the African bush. Arusha is the starting point for most of the Safari programs which can be tailored from 1 to 7 days to fit your available time, interests and budget.

Arusha National Park

Early morning pick up from the Hotel in Arusha and drive to Arusha National Park. – Morning games drive in Arusha National Park. Stop for a casual lunch at Momella Wildlife Lodge. After lunch continue with an afternoon game drive at the National Park. Late afternoon, return to your hotel in Arusha. At Arusha National Park you can enjoy three different kind of activities, or combine any three of them:

• Game Drive: You can embark on a half-day or full-day game drive through the park. Your drive will pass you past park landmarks such as the Momella Lakes and Ngurdoto Crater – sometimes known as ‘Little Ngorongoro’.
• Canoe Safari: You can trade the car for a canoe and take a guided canoe safari out on the Momella Lakes to see bushbuck, giraffes, hippos, and buffalo.
• Walking Safari: Stretch your legs with a guided walking safari through the park. While on your walking safari, you can expect to see endless acres of forest, home to black and white colobus monkeys, zebras, buffalos, a variety of antelopes, and more than 400 bird species

• You can combine the above three options as you please,

Arusha city tour with a museum visit

Arusha, Geneva of Africa, noble city of Northern Tanzania.  Cantered at the midpoint of Africa on the Cape-to-Cairo line, Arusha is a sophisticated, lively city, with much to offer to travellers.  Shopping, coffee houses, bazaars, hotels, museums, mosques, and churches. Arusha weather is cold. In the morning and evenings after work, roads immerging to the city are full of traffic jams. Therefore, there will be no common sequence of the itinerary and the order of sites will vary depending on traffic. At the same time, some of the sites are closed on Sundays, Saturdays and during public holidays.

This tour provides a look at Arusha city with some insight into daily activities. Your driver will take you through the city centre and towards the Arusha Declaration Monument, visit the largest mosque in Arusha, and the Saint Theresa Catholic Church to see places of worship and experience the spirituality of the people. (As it is in many other countries, non Muslims are not allowed to enter mosques). You will also visitthe East African Community headquarters, the Arusha International Conference Centre, site for the Rwandan genocide tribunal and a nearby Arusha Boma Natural History Museum. In the same area there is a Via Via Meeting Place where you can sit in the coffee bar enjoying coffee as you chat with the locals.  The museum has a very good café where a self-service drink will cost about 0.5 Euro (in the waiter-service restaurant it will cost about four times as much).You will as well have a visit at the local market preferably Kilombero and the local Massai market to see and shop for the Massai handmade items. Finally, you will have a visit to the cultural heritage on the way to Meserani Snake Park (additional fee to be imposed). The tour ends at your hotel at around 1700 hours.

Meserani Snake park (Full Day)

Snake Park “commonly known as Meserani Snake park” is located 25kms west of Arusha A guided tour at Meserani will take you through Massai Cultural museum and learn about various venomous and non-venomous snakes in the. You will have the opportunity to personally hold live snake (non-venomous) taking some photos Continue the visit with a camel ride after lunch then visit the Massai village to see the traditional houses and lifestyle of the Massai.

Songota waterfall (half day)

The tour starts from Kwangulelo bust stop. A 45 minutes’ walk takes you to the Songoto waterfall in Oldadai village. Visit Mzee Loti’s farm and visit the biogas and soil conservation projects, traditional houses and school.

Navuru waterfall and village tour (Full day)

From Mzee Loti’s farm, do the half day tour combined with a walk to the Olgilai forest reserve. A small path leads you to the steep canyon of the Themi River. Cross the river to reach the Nuvuru waterfall.

Village and Forest tour (Full day)

The village tour can be combined with a visit to the forest on the higher slopes of Mt. Meru. The spring waters that are the main source of water for the village commence here. At the edge of the forest, meet a traditional healer.

Massai Boma tour (3 – 4 hours)

Visit a Massai boma and see the lifestyle of this legendary tribe up-close. Along with a guided tour of the Boma and an introduction to the local Massai population, tribesmen will offer to paint traditional Massai tattoos for visitors and even let them milk their prized cows.

A Tour at the Slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro (Full day)

Pick from the hotel in Arusha and drive to Moshi town, if weather is clear, you will have a good view of the Mount Kilimanjaro and its snow. En route, you will have a quick tour of Moshi town and thereafter, drive towards the high altitudes of Marangu. It normally gets colder as you ascend to the entrance gate. This tour will provide you with a visit to indigenous war cave in Marangu followed by an interesting lecture on how wars were being conducted and mysterious ways of which caves were formed and still existing to-date. You will also pay a visit to the Marangu waterfalls, and an indigenous Chagga house.

Lunch will be served at The Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort. After lunch, you will drive towards south of Kilema for climbing a small hill, Ngangu, for a good view of the entire area and personal meditation. You will also pay a visit to the nearby coffee plantations and a visit to the junior seminary which was built and still serving the community after centuries. Drive back to Arusha as sun sets into Tanzanian horizons and drop off at your hotel at around 1830Hrs.