Arusha, one of Tanzania’s largest towns, has many tourist attractions. It serves as the capital of the larger Arusha region and is ideally placed in the country’s north, near some of East Africa’s best national parks because of its location at the foot of Mount Meru, the city receives enough rainfall to keep it green all year. It is known as Tanzania’s green city.
Cultural Heritage Centre in Arusha.
Arusha is a multicultural city with people from all backgrounds. There are indigenous tribes, Tanzanians of mixed ethnicity like Arab, Swahili, and it is a destination in and of itself, with numerous activities available. If you are in town before or after your safari, do not stay in your hotel room. We will go over in great depth some of the greatest tourist sites in Arusha.
Volunteer
If you have the spirit of volunteerism, you can help the community in a variety of ways while visiting Arusha. You can volunteer to plant trees, clean up the city, teach, or support local child soccer teams.
How can you support soccer?
You support soccer, though. Volunteers in Arusha are coaching and sharing their knowledge of the game. If you have experience as a referee, analyzing player performance, and finding and developing soccer talent, sign up to volunteer with one of the local soccer teams. Many local teams compete in local and regional soccer tournaments, but often lack the essential equipment and qualified coaching staff.
Please help these teams by giving soccer footwear, uniforms, and football netting if you can. Volunteering or sponsoring local young teams will be extremely rewarding. You get to interact with the local community and learn about the difficulties they face. If you are not sure where to volunteer, we recommend asking your tour operator from Naleyo tours and travels.
Go shopping at the Arusha Central Market
There is no better way to learn about a new culture than to visit its central shopping district. The Arusha Central Market (Kilombero Market) rewards tourists by bringing them closer to the city’s residents. It is the market in Arusha where everyone shops for home necessities. The market is filled with people, and the majority of the businesses are built close together.
Expect to find stores selling native fabrics, spices, traditional medicines, woodcarvings, handicrafts, art, jewelry, vegetables, chicken, meat, fruits, and a variety of other cuisines. The Arusha central market also contains a significant sector for trading goats, sheep, and cows.
If you want to buy something at the market, be prepared to bargain. You be careful not to bring any valuables with you to the market. If you must accompany them, make sure they can be securely fastened to your belt so that pickpockets cannot take them.
Eat out or take coffee:
If you are looking for somewhere to have breakfast, lunch, or supper in Arusha, you will be spoilt for choice. The city features a number of high-quality restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, and other dining options that serve both continental and local cuisine.
Africafe offers the best sandwiches, coffee, burgers, grilled meat, burgers, chips, tramazini, pastries, cakes, and European delights. The restaurant also offers a selection of soft drinks, beer, and wine.Another ideal. River trees is a great spot to eat and relax with your friends. River trees in the midst of a coffee farm. Expect to be offered coffee grown in the area. Aside from coffee and delicious meals, a Guide can take you for a walk through the gorgeous gardens and stream to see birds.
Other coffee shops and centers to consider include the Arusha Coffee Lodge, Sahaga Shangaa, Machweo Wellness Retreat, Fifi’s, Universal Classic Restaurant, Fig & Olive, Lively Lady Bar & Grill, Le Patio, and Khan’s Barbecue.Arusha Coffee Lodge is similar to Africafe in that it is surrounded by picturesque gardens and a coffee estate. They serve three-course dinners, cold beverages, and coffee.
Sahanga Hanging out in Arusha.Shangaa, on the other hand, organizes bean-to-cup coffee for guests who are interested in the beverage-making process. A Belgian family owns Machweo Wellness Retreat, which is regarded as one of the top restaurants in Arusha.They have managed to combine local cuisines with a Belgian touch to create excellent dinners in a stunning setting with breathtaking views of the Monduli Mountains.
Fifi’s is located on Themi’s Road and is a great place for breakfast, lunch, and coffee. Universal Classic Restaurant on Swahili Road serves the best local dishes. Le Patio is a relatively new restaurant that has already gained popularity for its exceptional cuisine and pizza.
Arusha National Park:
Arusha National Park may not be as well known as the Serengeti, but it is an excellent visit, particularly for those seeking something unique. It is the most accessible national park in Arusha National Park, Tanzania, and is known for its breathtaking beauty, which includes volcanic craters and lakes. The drive from the city center to the park takes less than two hours.
Mount Meru is the most visible landmark in the park, but visitors can also see baboons, buffalo, bushbucks, elephants, giraffes, hippos, and leopards, among other animals. The park offers mountain hikes, game drives, horseback riding, biking, canoeing, and nature walks.
Canoeing is generally done on the Momella lakes. These are a collection of alkaline lakes scattered throughout the park. The largest two are most popular because they attract a large number of park creatures. Canoeing at Arusha National Park is unique because it allows you to fully appreciate the park’s natural splendor, including its animals and birds.
Climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai Mountain
This is an active volcano located in the heart of Maasai territory. It is bordered by the crater highlands to the south, Mount Kilimanjaro to the east, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the north, and the huge East African rift valley to the west. Ol Doinyo Lengai Mountain, at 2962 meters high, is the world’s only carbonated volcano.
Every seven years, the mountain explodes, sending plumes of smoke hundreds of miles distant. Because of the tumultuous nature, the natives consider it sacred. Ol Doinyo Lengai Mountain.
Hiking to the summit is feasible, but can be difficult due to the severe heat, steep slopes, and loose rocky outcrops. The summit needs two days of climbing. Before attempting to climb to the summit, one must psychologically prepare.
The initial section demands the ability to resist heat; however, circumstances at the top can be extremely chilly, particularly at night. Hikers who reach the summit are rewarded with spectacular views of the summit crater, the vast Serengeti plains, the Ngorongoro crater, Lake Natron, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the East African rift valley.
Hikers can walk across the crater floor after admiring the breathtaking views in the horizon. Lake Natron is a soda/alkaline lake located at the base of Mount Ol Donyo Lengai.
The lake is located in an incredibly distant and barren place with a distinctive landscape. The lake is shallow, and during the hot season, water temperatures can reach an incredible 42 degrees Celsius. Lake Natron does not drain or connect to a major river or sea. Tiny rivers and hot springs nourish it. The nearest towns to the lake are Arusha and Magadi in Kenya.
Flamingos on Lake Natron.
The Lake’s isolation has created it the largest breeding habitat for almost 2.5 million Lesser Flamingos, making it a Ramsar site. Lesser Flamingos consider the lake excellent for mating since it is isolated, rich in algae, and most predators avoid salt marshes and tilapia. The Lesser Flamingo is considered endangered because to their reliance on breeding in a single place.
Global warming could empty the lake, wiping off the Lesser Flamingo. It is crucial to remember that, in addition to flamingos, the lake is home to pelicans, geese, and over 350 other bird species.
Tourists that visit the lake can also see the Masai tribe on their way back to Arusha. The Uhuru Torch Monument, also known as Mwenge WA Uhuru (Torch of Freedom in Swahili), is a national symbol of the country.Alexandra Nyirenda lighted the Uhuru Torch monument in 1961, and it represents light and freedom.
The monument is an indication of Hope in times of despair, love where there is hatred, and respect where there is hostility. Every year, Tanzanians and others from all over the world gather to witness the lighting of the Uhuru Torch.
Clock Tower
This tower was formerly said to have been built between Cape Town, South Africa, and Cairo, Egypt, to mark the halfway point of the former British dominion on the African continent. However, this has been disproved, as the true halfway between the two cities is now recognized to be in Central Congo.
A safari in Serengeti National Park:
Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park is widely regarded as the most popular tourist destination near Arusha. The park consists of wide savanna Grasslands are Lions hunt wildebeest in the Serengeti National Park, which is filled with acacia trees. The Serengeti extends all the way to Kenya’s Masai Mara Wildlife Reserve.
The Serengeti’s wildebeest and zebra migration is one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles. Every year, almost 1.5 million wildebeest and 210,000 zebras migrate over the Serengeti and into Kenya’s Masai Mara reserve. This migration has occurred annually for hundreds of thousands of years. Nothing can stop the creatures once they have started moving.
A three-day safari in Serengeti National Park allows you to follow the wildebeest migration while also seeing lions, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, ostriches, and other wildlife. The Park is huge and provides an incredible animal experience that rivals, if not exceeds, that of the Masai Mara.
Tarangire National Park:
Tarangire National Park is a popular tourist destination in northern Tanzania. It is not only ideal for a typical safari, but it has also become well known for its elephant migration, which is more intense during specific months of the year.
Tarangire is only three hours’ drive from Arusha city. Most tourists visit the park for a short period of time and rarely explore all of its attractions. This leaves most of the park untouched and largely unknown. The number of mammals is fantastic to see between July and October. Expect to see four of the famous big five mammals and over 500 bird species. In a word, the park’s major activities include game drives, walking safaris, nature walks, bird viewing.
Visit St. Jude Schools:
The St. Jude Schools were established to educate intelligent but underprivileged youngsters in Arusha so that they can grow up to be the country’s intellectual and moral leaders. Tourists can visit the schools and learn about their academic programs while also interacting with the pupils.On a normal day, tourists are shown about the school and escorted to lunch with the pupils.
If time allows, kids are also encouraged to participate in activities such as Musical performances, drama, physical education, visits to the library, and morning assemblies.St. Jude has expanded to three sites, with over 1,800 students and 250 employees. The majority of this expansion would not have been feasible without the tremendous financing provided by individual individuals all across the world.
Visit the Hadzabe people:
For a true cultural experience, travel to Tanzania and meet one of Africa’s last true nomads, the Hadzabe tribe. The Hadzabe dwell near the Serengeti plains and Lake Eyasi. Hunting among the Hadzabe peopleThe tribe, also known as the Hadzabe, has no close ties to any other East African tribes.
They are considered to be linked to the Khoisan people of Southern Africa are characterized by clicks in their language.They have remained isolated, with less than 1,000 remaining. What makes a visit to the Hadzabe tribe noteworthy is that their way of life has stayed remarkably untouched, unaffected by modernization.
They rely on subsistence farming and hunting for survival. During a typical visit, guests can accompany the men in a traditional hunting expedition with bows and arrows or walk out with the women to harvest fruits and wild berries.
Sidai Designs
Sidai Designs is located in a peaceful area near the city center. A project aims to assist women become self-sufficient by embracing the opportunities provided by art. The project teaches women how to design jewelry, other art creations. The ladies are given spaces to showcase their items, which are mainly influenced by Masai styles. Visit Sidai Designs if you want to buy local souvenirs while also helping a good cause.
Jewelry at the Shanga Foundation
The Shanga Foundation is comparable to Sidai Designs. If you are looking for another location to buy high-quality art while simultaneously contributing to the community or assisting the vulnerable, this is the place to go.
The Shanga Foundation and Workshop employs and supports persons with disabilities by teaching them how to produce home items, glassware, gorgeous jewelry, and Tinga paintings. By enabling ambitious persons with impairments, the workshop has helped to employ and increase their General level of income.
The foundation also helps them market their items to buyers all around the world. Spend time with the beneficiaries and hear their tales while they work on their products. The foundation ensures that a portion of the profits is used to train and employs further disabled persons. Shanga is a popular tourist destination due to its contributions to the rehabilitation of the physically impaired.
The Aranga Coffee Group:
Arusha has adequate rainfall throughout the year and has fertile volcanic soils. This combination of fertile soils and favorable climate is great for coffee production. Several coffee farms have sprung up throughout the city, employing many of its citizens.
The coffee trip leads you to one of the farms in the alpine community of Nkoaranga.The property is approximately 25 kilometers from the town. A guide can take you up from your accommodation in Arusha and transport you to the foot of Mount Meru, where you will be guided on foot to the plantation. As you walk to the farm, you will pass by a primary and secondary school, as well as a local church.
Visit the town of Tengeru:
Tengeru is a settlement located outside Arusha and below Mount Meru. The village is located on the east side of the Great Rift Valley, near Lake Duluti. Like Arusha, the temperate temperature keeps the town green for the most of the year.The scenery is breathtaking, and guests can participate in a variety of activities while visiting the town. The activities include viewing gorgeous waterfalls, visiting the local community, and, of course, climbing Mount Meru, which we will describe in detail later.
Lake Manyara
Lake Manyara is one of Tanzania’s smallest national parks. It is also less visited compared to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater, but remains a hidden gem for its beautiful trees. Climbing Lions in Lake Manyara National Park: Scenery and Rare Wildlife. Lake Manyara is a major feature. This alkaline lake’s size varies according on the season.
During the wet season, it can cover one-third of the park, which has over a million flamingos. Aside from flamingos, the park is home to kingfishers, herons, and more than 400 other bird species. Birders will be astounded by the diversity of birds on offer. Lake Manyara National Park is also noted for its uncommon tree-climbing lions.
The East African rift valley is a notable feature, and the vegetation ranges from savanna grasslands to marshes and dense woods. During your stay, look for buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, waterbucks, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, leopards, wildebeest, and zebras.
The Arusha Kid Sports:
This is one of the best places to take your kids for a weekend of entertainment. The Center offers a large swimming pool and excellent play areas where children may have fun all day. They also organize a variety of different water activities to keep the kids and parents entertained throughout the day. The facility is close to the Uhuru Monument.
Play golf:
If you want to meet the city’s businesses, expatriates, and government officials, join one of the clubs. The Kilimanjaro Golf Club includes an 18-hole golf course that is free for members but charges a fee for guests. This golf course offers magnificent views of Mount. Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. To play or rent golf clubs/caddies, you must register at the clubhouse. Gymkhana Golf Club runs Arusha’s second golf course.
This club was formed in 1940 and is located 30 kilometers from Kilimanjaro Golf Club. It contained nine holes, and the green fee was approximately $100 per person. If these two are not to your liking, you might try one in the adjacent Moshi district, which was founded in 1920.
Tanzanite Shopping:
If you want to give the most romantic gift to your spouse, you should not leave Arusha without purchasing Tanzanite goods. Tanzanite is a rare gemstone found solely in Tanzanite Tanzania. A big piece can cost up. It is blue/violet in color, and most of it is purchased by the jewelry business Tiffany’s. Either you can buy a loose stone or have the designers make a custom piece for you.
Arusha has various jewelry shops and museums dedicated to presenting this unique stone. Even if you have a limited budget, you can still visit one of the shops to view what the jewel looks like. Make sure you visit a real Tanzanite retailer, especially if you intend to buy one. Visit some of the artisan shops featured in this article or the Mount Meru Hotel store to ensure quality.
How safe is Arusha?
Arusha is a relatively safe city compared to others in East Africa. However, international travelers who are unfamiliar with the city should be cautious. Avoid walking alone at night or in unfamiliar areas. Always agree on the cost of the automobile or cab before beginning the drive to avoid being overcharged. Avoid motorcycles, especially at night.
Like other large cities in East Africa, there are petty thieves eager to steal your bag or phone. While in town, do not openly carry your bag or phone. Move with a little wallet wrapped around your waste that cannot be stolen. When walking outside of the city center, always accompany a native guide. Avoid notorious sites, such as the bridge on the ancient Moshi Road.
What is the ideal time to visit Arusha?
Arusha is at a high altitude (1300 meters) because of this, the city has a temperate climate for the majority of the year. Visitors can come throughout the year, and activities are always open. However, if you plan to go on safari in national parks, the dry season may be better suitable.
The dry season typically runs from June to October. November through February is also ideal for safaris. Safaris are best enjoyed during the dry season, when park animals congregate in one location to drink from boreholes and rivers.There is less vegetation, making it easier to see wildlife.
The rainy or rain season lasts from March until May. However, it is worth noting that the wet season lends life to the national parks, and the scenery can be spectacular.Migrant birds from Europe and other areas of the world arrive during the wet season as well. It is the breeding season for the birds, and the parks are less crowded, allowing for a more private trip. Unfortunately, the rainy season causes park roads to become muddy, making them unusable in some sections.