3-Day Safari in Tanzania
The second part of our trip was to reach Arusha, renowned as the safari capital of the northern highlands of Tanzania. If you missed the first part of our trip, we spent two amazing days in the Zanzibar Archipelago on Unguja Island. While Zanzibar transported us through time and place, Arusha offered a different type of experience.
Safari means journey in Swahili and when you think of East Africa this is the first word that comes to your mind. Tanzania is worldwide recognized to offer the finest safari experiences and wildlife spectacles. The vibrant town of Arusha is located beneath the twin peaks of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the starting point of many memorable safaris and cultural tourism immersions. Read on our 3-day safari in the northern region to help you plan your own itinerary to visit this soulful destination.
Day One – Arusha National Park
After escaping the noise of the downtown core of the city and the busy traffic on the main road, we finally made it to Arusha National Park in the afternoon, thanks to our driver Zigi from Kili Slope Tours. Zigi has been our driver and our guide for our 3 days in Arusha. We found the company Kili Slope Tours on TripAdvisor when we were looking for safari reviews of Arusha National Park.
You can purchase your safari on TripAdvisor where prices are listed or contact the company directly by email for an arrangement. It is more common to contact the company by email because most of the time, tours are tailored according to customers needs.
How to decide which Safari to do in northern Tanzania? The most popular site is obviously Serengeti National Park, which is one of the greatest wildlife-watching destinations in Tanzania. Because of the park superficies (more than 14,000-sq-km), it is not possible to visit the park in only one day. The minimal recommended stay is 3 days with 2 nights on site. For this reason, we were not able to reach Serengeti National Park and instead, we decided to go to Arusha National Park on day one and to Tarangire National Park on day two.
Which animals could you expect to see in Arusha National Park? First of all, Arusha is home of pristine mountain hiking trails and a gem of varied ecosystems dominated by Mt Meru. Despite its small size compare to Serengeti (around 550-sq-km), we were able to see zebras, giraffes, bushbucks, waterbucks, dik-diks, buffaloes, red duikers, hippos, and baboons. It was an unforgettable moment to see all those animals in their natural habitat.
Unfortunately, we did not see elephants, black-and-white colobuses, and leopards in Arusha National Park. That being said, thanks to the Momella Lake, we saw beautiful pink flamingos. Moreover, canoeing and walking safaris are two popular activities available in this park. We did none of them because our time was limited but we wish to do a walking safari one day.
Where to stay in Arusha? There are plenty of options from budget to top-end places. The Four Points by Sheraton Arusha Hotel graciously hosted us for two nights during our stay in Arusha. The hotel is ideally located in the city’s center close to the Clock Tower. At the hotel, traditional ambiance is effortlessly combined with a refined style. From the minute we stepped inside to the moment we left, the hotel staff made sure everything met our expectations.
Our room was spacious and equipped with modern furniture. We had two comfy double beds, which allow us to have our own space. Thanks to the twice-daily housekeeping our room was always clean. Moreover, we had a beautiful view of the leafy eastern Arusha from our window. Among the hotel’s key amenities, there are an outdoor swimming pool and a fitness center to keep you in shape during your stay.
Overlooking the gardens, the Parachichi Restaurant was our first choice for breakfast and dinner. There is an elegant terrace where we liked to sit to have breakfast. The breakfast was served in a buffet style, which allowed us to have plenty of choices to compose vegan plates. In the evening, we preferred to sit inside to have dinner and to enjoy the welcoming interior. The East African and Indian dishes featured on the menu were delightful and flavorsome. Each visit to the Parachichi Restaurant was a delicious feast!
Day Two – Tarangire National Park
To reach the Tarangire National Park from Arusha, it took around 2h30. The road was in good conditions, which made the ride enjoyable. We passed through several small cities, saw a couple of Maasai shepherds with their livestock along the road, and observed arid landscapes.
The dry season (July to October) is the perfect time to visit the park because the weather conditions are excellent and numbers of animals concentrate in the park because of the Tarangire River. However, the park is also known for his significant amount of tsetse flies so you should avoid wearing dark colors to prevent attracting them.
Why visit the Tarangire National Park? Tarangire is an excellent alternative for those who cannot go to Serengeti. Indeed, Tarangire has the most varied landscapes of Northern Tanzania with a lot of epic baobabs. Moreover, Tarangire has the largest concentration of elephants as compared to anywhere in Tanzania. In addition to zebras, giraffes, elands, and buffaloes to name a few, Tarangire has several hundreds of resident lions. We spent a half day at Tarangire and the best part of the safari was when we saw many species of animal drinking water together at the river including lions. It was epic! Do not forget your binoculars to capture those kinds of unforgettable moments.
Day Three – Meru Tribe Visit
On our last day in Arusha, we did a cultural immersion in a Meru tribe. Several villages around Arusha offer cultural tourism programs center on village activities and light hikes. This type of guided tour is an excellent occasion to connect with locals. Payment for the activity should be made on-site (starting at 20 USD) and profits are invested back in the community.
Since we had to take our return flight to Dar Es Salaam in the afternoon, we scheduled our visit to the Meru tribe in the morning. When we arrived, the guide warmly welcomed us inside a familial house. We sat at the table in the garden, where we were served some African bush tea also known as rooibos. The leaves used to prepare the tea come from their garden, as shown in the picture above. In addition, to be caffeine-free, high in antioxidants and minerals, it was so refreshing!
After a brief presentation, we did a tour of the familial house. As it is common in the village, this family has a vegetable garden and raises animals for their own consumption. As we left the familial house we did a light hike around the village where we visited some plantations, including among others coffee, sugar cane, and greens. We did not meet a herbal doctor but we learned about the benefits of some plant species used in traditional medicine for stomach pain, headache, and scars to name a few.
Overall, our first trip to Tanzania was memorable and literally exceeded our expectations. As I write those words, I feel very nostalgic and I wish to come back one day for more. Despite the expenses associated with visiting this destination, I will not encourage you to travel during the local low season for the activities you plan to do, because chances are you will miss the full potential of your experience.
To conclude, here is a list of useful words in Swahili that you will hear during your stay so feel comfortable to use it even if most people will talk to you in English:
- Jambo => Hello
- Kwaheri => Goodbye
- Karibu => Welcome
- Asante (sana) => Thank you (so much)
- Samahani => Excuse me
- Ndiyo/Hapana => Yes/No
- Pesa/Benki => Money/Bank
- Taxi/Mashua/Ndege => Taxi/Bateau/Avion
- Hakuna Matata => No worries
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