Itineraries.
ARUSHA: is a city in northern Tanzania and the capital of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 in the surrounding Arusha District (2012 census). Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, Arusha has a temperate climate. The city is close to the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Arusha National Park on Mount Meru. The three days offers just enough time to sample some of what makes this place one of Tanzania’s most popular destinations.
Day 1: walk around the City
Pick up from your hotel 09h30 after your breakfast spend the day wandering the streets of the Central Business Area and exploring the halls of the National Natural History Museum before heading east to Tengeru, a bustling market town that’s thick with trade. Comb through the stalls of local sellers and bear witness as locals purchase everything from goods for the day’s meal to brightly colored traditional fabrics, and even electronics. Round out the evening at one of the city’s popular night clubs, like Club D, Maasai Camp, Greek Club or Via Via, where hip-hop anthems reign supreme.
Day 2: Visit the Maasai Boma
Pick up from your hotel 09h30 after your breakfast to Monduli juu where the Maasai are highly located. Despite its urban status, Arusha is home to a large population of Maasai one of Tanzania’s oldest semi-nomadic tribes. Spend a day visiting a traditional boma, where these pastoral people practice their traditional way of life. Wander through the mud huts and explore the fields where young boys keep watch over goats, donkeys, cows and sheep. Share a pot of steaming hot food with the women of this tribe, whose brightly colored red robes are easy to spot amid the backdrop of the Tanzanian savannahs. Learn more about their healers, educational system and patriarchal practices, then purchase some of the tribe’s distinctive handmade jewelry as a reminder of this once in a lifetime experience.
Day 3: Get in Touch with the Wild Side
Pick up (08h00) from Arusha town and drive to Arusha National Park. The park (137km²), has terrain ranging from open savannah through acacia scrublands to Afro-montane cloud and rain forest and Afro-alpine vegetation similar to Mount Kilimanjaro.
There are several alkaline lakes and the spectacular Ngurdoto Crater. Mammal species include elephant, buffalo, various primates, giraffe, leopard and Columbus Monkeys. Hiking is allowed if accompanied by an armed guard and the climb up Mount Meru is superb, often giving the best views available of Mount Kilimanjaro. At 4,556m, Mount Meru is the fifth highest mountain in Africa and is located in the Arusha National Park. Lunch is served at Momela Wildlife Lodge.
Drive back to Arusha city 17h00 the tour ends.