Arusha
Attractions
12
Area
37576 km²
Population
1694310
Categories
12
Arusha Region is Tanzania's tourism nerve-centre and the undisputed safari capital of East Africa. Nestled between the Arusha and Meru peaks, the region commands extraordinary biodiversity — Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Lake Manyara, Tarangire, and Arusha National Park all fall within or border this single region. The city of Arusha hosted the historic 1990s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and today thrives as a cosmopolitan hub for diplomats, researchers, and travellers. The Maasai people, iconic in crimson shuka cloth, coexist with modern infrastructure along the Great North Road. Arusha serves as the start and end point for the celebrated Northern Safari Circuit, drawing over half a million international visitors annually.
Attractions in Arusha
Ngorongoro Crater
Intact caldera with 25,000+ animals and Africa's highest predator density.
Arusha City — Safari Capital of Africa
The undisputed safari capital of Africa — a cosmopolitan highland city of 416,000 people that launches 90% of Tanzania's northern circuit safaris.
Serengeti National Park
The greatest wildlife show on Earth — 1.5 million wildebeest thunder across 14,763 km² of endless savannah in the world's most spectacular annual migration.
Ngorongoro Crater
The world's largest intact volcanic caldera — a UNESCO World Heritage Site sheltering the densest concentration of wildlife in Africa, including all of the Big Five.
Olduvai Gorge
Cradle of humanity with Homo habilis fossils, museum, and guided gorge walks.
Mount Meru
4,566m volcanic peak with dramatic crater rim and Kilimanjaro sunrise views.
Lake Natron
East Africa's most otherworldly lake — a caustic soda lake that turns wildlife to stone yet supports the world's largest breeding colony of lesser flamingos.
Ol Doinyo Lengai — Mountain of God
The only active natrocarbonatite volcano on Earth — sacred to the Maasai, deadly cold at summit, and uniquely erupting black lava that turns white in rain.
Arusha National Park
Tanzania's most accessible national park — giraffe, zebra, colobus monkeys, and Momella Lakes within 30 minutes of Arusha city.
Lake Manyara National Park
Where flamingos turn the lake pink and lions sleep in trees — Lake Manyara's compact 325 km² hides extraordinary biodiversity beneath the Great Rift Valley escarpment.
Tarangire National Park
Tanzania's best-kept safari secret — ancient baobab forests, the Tarangire River, and Africa's highest elephant density outside the Amboseli ecosystem.
Mount Meru
Africa's fifth-highest peak — a dramatic volcanic crater in Arusha National Park offering a spectacular acclimatisation trek and intimate wildlife encounters.
Explore Tours in Arusha
Discover guided experiences, safaris, and activities available across Arusha.