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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.
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.
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