Day Trips
Arusha National Park Walking & Canoe Safari
Arusha National Park is small at around 552 square kilometres and it is routinely skipped by safari itineraries heading west. That is a mistake, because it offers two activities that no other northern park permits: guided walking with an armed ranger, and canoeing on the Momella Lakes.
The park has three distinct sections. Ngurdoto Crater is a collapsed caldera whose forested walls enclose a swampy floor where buffalo and warthog graze, viewed from rim viewpoints since descent is not permitted. The Momella Lakes are a series of shallow alkaline lakes of differing colours, fed by underground streams and holding flamingo in the right conditions. Mount Meru, at 4,566 metres, rises behind everything.
Wildlife includes giraffe, buffalo, zebra, warthog, bushbuck and both colobus and blue monkey. The black and white colobus here are the most reliably seen in northern Tanzania. There are no lion and elephant are rare, which is precisely why walking is permitted.
Canoeing on Small Momella Lake puts you at water level among waterbirds and, at a safe distance, grazing giraffe and buffalo on the shore. It is a genuinely different perspective and takes about two hours.
Planning your trip
Practical planning. This is a single day programme, so the whole experience depends on an early start and on weather conditions holding through the middle of the day. We quote fees at the tariff period current at the time of booking, since park, conservation and crater charges are revised periodically and are a significant share of the total cost. Yellow fever certification is required if you are arriving from or transiting a country with risk of transmission, and travel insurance covering medical evacuation is a condition of travel on all our programmes.
Season. June to October is the classic dry season, when vegetation thins, water sources concentrate wildlife and roads are at their most reliable. December to March brings green landscapes, calving on the southern plains and lower rates. April and May are the long rains, when some tracks become difficult and a number of seasonal camps close.
In the parks. Stay in the vehicle unless your guide confirms a stop is authorised, keep noise low near wildlife, never feed animals and take all rubbish out with you. Off-road driving, drones and unsupervised walking are prohibited or restricted across the national parks and conservation areas. These rules exist because visitor pressure is the main long-term threat to the places you have come to see.
Where this trip goes
Read the full destination guides for every protected area covered by this itinerary before you travel. Each one sets out habitat, seasonality, access and the managing authority in detail.
Compare similar packages
If the length, pace or budget of this itinerary is not quite right, these alternatives cover comparable ground:
- Lake Duluti Hike & Canoeing Excursion
- 1-Day Tarangire National Park Express Safari
- 1-Day Ngorongoro Crater Day Game Drive
- Tarangire Day Safari from Arusha or Moshi
You can also browse the full package catalogue or the destination directory to build a custom itinerary with us.
Highlights
- Guided walking safari with an armed ranger, unavailable in other northern parks
- Canoe safari on Small Momella Lake among waterbirds and shoreline game
- Ngurdoto Crater rim viewpoints over the enclosed caldera floor
- Most reliable black and white colobus viewing in northern Tanzania
- Mount Meru at 4,566 metres as a constant backdrop
Trip itinerary
Day 1: Arusha to Arusha National Park and return
Collection around 07:30 and a drive of about 45 minutes east to Ngongongare Gate. The park sits between Arusha and Kilimanjaro International Airport.
The morning is a game drive through the forest sections to the Ngurdoto Crater rim viewpoints, looking down onto the caldera floor where buffalo and warthog graze, with colobus in the canopy en route.
Midday brings the canoe safari on Small Momella Lake, around two hours at water level among waterbirds with giraffe and buffalo on the shore. Picnic lunch follows.
The afternoon is a guided walk with an armed ranger through open woodland and lake margins, an experience impossible in Serengeti or Tarangire. Return to Arusha in the late afternoon.
Included
- Return transfer from Arusha or Moshi accommodation
- Arusha National Park entry and walking safari fees
- Armed ranger for the walking section
- Canoe hire, life jackets and canoe guide
- Game drive in a 4x4 with pop-up roof
- Picnic lunch and bottled drinking water
Excluded
- Tips for the guide, ranger and canoe guide
- Personal purchases and additional drinks
- Travel insurance
- Binoculars, available for hire
Accommodation
A day excursion with no accommodation. The park鈥檚 proximity to Kilimanjaro International Airport makes it an excellent first or last day activity, and many guests use it on an arrival day when a long transfer would be unwelcome.
It is also the standard acclimatisation walk for climbers preparing for Mount Meru or Kilimanjaro, since the walking sections sit between 1,500 and 2,000 metres.
FAQs
Why is walking allowed here but not in the Serengeti?
Because Arusha National Park has no lion and very few elephant, which changes the risk profile entirely. An armed ranger still accompanies every walk, principally because of buffalo, which are the genuinely dangerous animal here.
Is the canoe safari safe?
Yes. Small Momella Lake has no hippo or crocodile, which is why canoeing is permitted there and not on most Tanzanian lakes. Life jackets are provided and a guide accompanies each group.
Is this a good acclimatisation day before Kilimanjaro?
Very good, and many of our climbers use it. The walking sections are between 1,500 and 2,000 metres, the exertion is moderate, and it is a far better use of a pre-climb day than sitting in a Moshi hotel.
Will I see the big five here?
No. There are no lion or rhino, and elephant are rare. What you get instead is giraffe, buffalo, zebra, colobus and outstanding birdlife, plus two activities the big five parks cannot offer.
Will I see the big five on this trip?
Lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard are all realistically possible on the northern circuit, and rhino are seen in the Ngorongoro Crater with reasonable frequency though usually at distance. No operator can guarantee sightings of wild animals and we will not pretend otherwise.
Is a private vehicle included?
Road-based itineraries use a private 4x4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, exclusively for your party, with a guaranteed window seat. Fly-in itineraries use camp-based vehicles shared with a small number of other guests, and a private vehicle can be added at extra cost.
What should I pack for a safari?
Neutral coloured layers, a warm fleece for early morning game drives, sun protection, binoculars and a camera with more storage than you expect to need. Soft-sided bags are required on any itinerary involving light aircraft, where the limit is typically 15 kilograms.
How much should I budget for tips?
Guidance rather than obligation: around 20 to 30 US dollars per vehicle per day for the driver-guide, and 5 to 10 dollars per guest per day for camp staff, pooled. We will give you a specific breakdown for your itinerary before departure.
How far in advance should I book Arusha National Park Walking & Canoe Safari?
For peak months, meaning July to October and the Christmas and New Year period, six to twelve months ahead. Camps and mountain permits in those windows genuinely sell out. For green season travel, two to three months is usually sufficient.
Can this itinerary be customised?
Yes. Every itinerary we publish is a starting point. Days can be added or removed, accommodation tiers changed, internal flights substituted for road transfers, and extensions to Zanzibar or the southern parks attached. Tell us the constraint and we will build around it.
