Arusha is where we live and where your trip begins, and most visitors see it only through a car window on the way somewhere else. It is worth a day.
Why does everything start in Arusha?
Geography. The town sits below Mount Meru with the northern parks spread out to the west and Kilimanjaro an hour to the east. Every safari vehicle, every climbing crew and most of the country’s tour operators are based here, including us. If you are doing a northern circuit safari or climbing Kilimanjaro, you will sleep in or near Arusha at least twice.
What is there to do on your first or last day?
Not a long list, and that is fine. What there is, is real.
- The central market. Loud, crowded and not arranged for tourists, which is the appeal. Go with someone who knows it.
- A cultural heritage centre. Good for Tanzanian art and carvings, and a sensible place to buy something rather than at the airport.
- A coffee farm on the slopes of Meru. Half a day, and the coffee is genuinely excellent.
- Arusha National Park. An easy day trip with giraffe, colobus monkeys and a walking safari option, and almost nobody in it.
Is Arusha a good place to recover after a climb?
Yes, and we would build in a night here rather than driving straight on. After a week on the mountain what you want is a shower, a bed that is not on a slope, and food you did not have to carry. Do that before the safari, not during it.
Is it safe?
It is an ordinary East African town, so ordinary sense applies. Do not walk alone with valuables after dark, use taxis your hotel arranges rather than ones that find you, and keep your phone in your pocket at the market. We have never had a guest come to harm, and we would rather tell you the practical version than pretend the question is rude.
If you have a spare day at either end of your trip, tell us and we will suggest something worth doing with it.
