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The closest
national park to Arusha town – northern Tanzania’s safari
capital – Arusha National Park is a multi-faceted jewel,
often overlooked by safarigoers, despite offering the
opportunity to explore a beguiling diversity of habitats
within a few hours.
The entrance
gate leads into shadowy montane forest inhabited by
inquisitive blue monkeys and colourful turacos and trogons –
the only place on the northern safari circuit where the
acrobatic black-and-white colobus monkey is easily seen. In
the midst of the forest stands the spectacular Ngurdoto
Crater, whose steep, rocky cliffs enclose a wide marshy
floor dotted with herds of buffalo and warthog.
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Further north,
rolling grassy hills enclose the tranquil beauty of the
Momela Lakes, each one a different hue of green or blue.
Their shallows sometimes tinged pink with thousands of
flamingos, the lakes support a rich selection of resident
and migrant waterfowl, and shaggy waterbucks display their
large lyre-shaped horns on the watery fringes. Giraffes
glide across the grassy hills, between grazing zebra herds,
while pairs of wide-eyed dik-dik dart into scrubby bush like
overgrown hares on spindly legs.
Although
elephants are uncommon in Arusha National Park, and lions
absent altogether, leopards and spotted hyenas may be seen
slinking around in the early morning and late afternoon. It
is also at dusk and dawn that the veil of cloud on the
eastern horizon is most likely to clear, revealing the
majestic snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro, only 50km (30
miles) distant.
But it is Kilimanjaro’s unassuming cousin, Mount Meru - the
fifth highest in Africa at 4,566 metres (14,990 feet) – that
dominates the park’s horizon. Its peaks and eastern
footslopes protected within the national park, Meru offers
unparalleled views of its famous neighbour, while also
forming a rewarding hiking destination in its own right.
Passing first
through wooded savannah where buffalos and giraffes are
frequently encountered, the ascent of Meru leads into
forests aflame with red-hot pokers and dripping with Spanish
moss, before reaching high open heath spiked with giant
lobelias. Everlasting flowers cling to the alpine desert, as
delicately-hoofed klipspringers mark the hike’s progress.
Astride the craggy summit, Kilimanjaro stands unveiled,
blushing in the sunrise. |
