• Arusha, Tanzania
  • +255-714 094 921/689 332 181
  • info@maasaiwanderlust.co.tz
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Highlights

With Africa's highest mountain, the gateway to the great game parks of the north, and the cultural delights of Arusha, this little City packs a big punch. Arusha City is a popular destination for safari holidays and is close to many national parks, including Arusha National Park, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro and the Great Rift Valley. Many visitors travel east to visit the magnificent Mount Kilimanjaro. The town is famous for its nightlife and markets, and has many interesting museums and places to visit such as Meserani Snake Park, The Natural History Museum and the Olduvai Gorge. Amazing views of Both Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro are visible from Arusha Town.

A few hours' drive to the east and you are standing at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, for all the World like a giant Christmas pudding, its round top, iced with streaming glaciers, peering out from a festive dish of clouds. Head to Tarangire, where lions loll in the shade of the trees and giant fleshly baobabs stand like sentinels above the rolling red dust. North-west of Tarangire, Lake Manyara National Park - One of the prettiest, most interesting and game-rich parks in the Tanzania; famous for its' tree-climbing lions. Further North-west, you are standing at the top of 600-metre (1,970-ft) cliff surrounded by dense montane forest of the Ngorongoro Crater. One of the most beautiful and outstandingly rich game sanctuaries in the World. A few hours' drive from Ngorongoro to the West and you reach the broad Serengeti plains, home to the great migration of some 2 million wildebeest, zebra and antelope. It doesn't really matter where you go. Whichever direction you take, Arusha City offers inspiration. It could take a lifetime to explore.

Despite its proximity to the equator, Arusha’s elevation of 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) on the southern slopes of Mount Meru keeps temperatures relatively low and alleviates humidity. Cool dry air is prevalent for much of the year. The temperature ranges between 13 and 30 degrees Celsius with an average around 25 degrees. It has distinct wet and dry seasons, and experiences an eastern prevailing wind from the Indian Ocean, a couple of hundred miles east.

Best Time To Visit Arusha City

Arusha city is a year-round touring destination where you find comfortable accommodations and plenty of things to do for one or two days before you head out on safari. In Arusha, you will always find other travelers who are beginning or ending their East African wildlife safaris, yet there is some fluctuation in the number of visitors due to other travel purposes, such as business meetings and conferences. The wet and dry season also affect the number of visitors, as well as the fauna experiences in the nearby wilderness areas. As you plan your Tanzania adventure safari, you should consider the time of year that you want to travel, as this greatly affects your wildlife experiences. Arusha has two wet seasons and two dry seasons. The long rainy season is from March to May, and most of the annual rainfall occurs in these months. The short rainy season is in November and December. The long dry season is from June through October, and August is typically the driest month of the year. The short, hot, dry season is in January and February with sporadic rains.

Weather & Climate

Average temperatures are highest in February with high of around 82 F (28 C) and lows of 54 F (12 C), and lowest temperature is in July with highs of 72 F (22 C) and lows of 54 F (12 C). Humidity levels are typically above 60% in Arusha, and the level rises gradually from April through July to nearly 80% humidity. Arusha offers many attractions that are not weather-dependent such as local markets, museums, historical and cultural sites. If you plan to climb Mount Kilimanjaro or Mount Meru during your stay in Arusha, weather is a factor. The best months to climb Mount Meru are from June to February with pockets of short rains in November and December. The best climbing seasons for Mount Kilimanjaro are from January to February and June to October. The weather on the mountain is a bit cooler from January to March, and there may be snow. The sky, though, is typically cloudless during this time, so the views are phenomenal, and there are typically fewer climbers. June through October is the peak climbing season due to the summer holidays, so there are more trekkers on the mountain.