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Arusha, Tanzania (Wimup travel guide)
▶ Video · Best of Arusha
Video guide · 1:18:10
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TanzaniaSafari gatewayMount Meru

Top 10 Things To Do in Arusha

Country
Tanzania
Best months
June to October (dry)
Population
618K
Language
Swahili
Budget / day
$40-100
Quick answer

Give Arusha two days before the safari and one after. Day one is Arusha National Park, 40 minutes east, for Ngurdoto Crater, the Momella Lakes and the only walking safari in the northern circuit. Day two is the city, which fits into an afternoon: the tanzanite museum on India Street, the Old Boma, Soko Kuu and the Cultural Heritage Centre out on the Dodoma road.

Best of Arusha

▶ Video guide Open the film page (1:18:10) →

Every northern safari circuit starts here, and most visitors see the airport road and a lodge garden. Arusha deserves better than that: a national park on the city edge, an active volcano behind it, and a working city of markets, museums and coffee estates at 1,400 metres.

The 10 best things to do in Arusha

Arusha National Park, Arusha, Tanzania (Wimup)
1

Arusha National Park

National park· Off the Arusha to Moshi road via Usa River, about 40 minutes east

The one northern park you can cross on foot. A ranger walks you past giraffe and buffalo to the Tululusia waterfall, the Momella Lakes hold flamingos when the water is high, and Ngurdoto Crater is the drive-up half. Non-resident entry is USD 50 in high season, before the 18% tax.

TimeFull day
CostUSD 50 non-resident in high season
Best atEarly morning
TipBook the walking safari ahead; an armed ranger has to come with you
Map↗ TANAPA
Mount Meru, Arusha (Wimup)
2

Mount Meru

Trek· Momella Gate, Arusha National Park

At 4,562 m this is the acclimatisation climb most Kilimanjaro crews recommend, and a better walk than that makes it sound. Three or four days up the Momella route, sleeping at Mirakamba Hut (2,514 m) and Saddle Hut (3,566 m), with an armed ranger on every group.

Time3 to 4 days
CostPark fees plus guide
Best atJune to October
TipMomella Gate only starts climbers between 9am and 3pm
Map↗ TANAPA
3

Cultural Heritage Centre

Gallery· Dodoma Road, on the western edge of the city

Founded in 1993 and closer to a museum than a curio stop: a spiral gallery of contemporary African painting, a Makonde carving collection, and a counter of graded tanzanite. Prices are fixed, which after the Maasai Market is either a relief or a disappointment.

Time1 to 2 hours
CostFree to enter
Best atLate morning
TipThe gallery is upstairs and most visitors never get past the ground-floor shops
Map↗ Cultural Heritage
4

The Tanzanite Experience

Museum· 3rd floor, Plot 35/E, India Street

Tanzanite comes from roughly four square kilometres of the Merelani Hills and nowhere else on earth. This small free museum explains how it formed, how it is graded and what a mine shaft looks like, and it makes the shops downstairs legible in about forty minutes.

Time45 minutes
CostFree
Best atAny weekday
TipLearn the grading scale here before you buy a stone anywhere in Arusha
Map↗ Tanzanite Experience
Lake Duluti, Arusha, Tanzania (Wimup)
5

Lake Duluti

Crater lake· Off the Arusha to Moshi road at Tengeru, about 20 minutes east

A crater lake in a forest reserve, filling a side vent of Mount Meru. The two-hour canoe circuit is the reason to come: fish eagles, giant kingfishers and darters at eye level, and Meru behind you when the cloud lifts. A rim trail does the same walk dry.

TimeHalf a day
CostReserve entry around USD 12 for non-residents, canoe extra
Best atEarly morning
TipCanoes are hired at the restaurant on the northern shore
Map
6

Natural History Museum at the Old Boma

Museum· Boma Road, off the Clock Tower roundabout

The German garrison boma, finished in 1900, now holds the country’s best small display on human evolution, which is the right place for it: most of what is known came out of Tanzanian ground. The colonial rooms and the insect cases are the thinner half.

Time1 hour
CostAbout USD 5 for non-residents
Best atMorning
TipThe evolution wing is the reason to come, so start there
Map↗ National Museum of Tanzania
7

Shanga at Burka Coffee Estate

Workshop· Burka Coffee Estate, off the Dodoma road

An open-air workshop on a working coffee estate where more than sixty artisans with disabilities blow recycled glass, weave and bead. You watch the glass being blown rather than a film of it, and the shop sells what was made ten metres away.

Time1 hour
CostFree to visit
Best atWeekday mornings
TipPair it with the coffee estate walk on the same grounds
Map↗ Shanga
8

Maasai Market

Market· Rotates on Saturdays between Njiro, Usa River and Haile Selassie Road

Beadwork, kangas, soapstone and carvings in narrow aisles, sold largely by the people who made them. It moves: the Saturday market rotates between Njiro Complex, Rivertrees at Usa River and the Oiko grounds. Haggle, and watch your pockets in the crush.

Time1 hour
CostFree to browse
Best atSaturday morning
TipAsk your hotel which of the three sites is hosting that week
Map
9

Chemka (Kikuletwa) Hot Springs

Hot springs· Near Boma la Ngombe, about 70 km east of Arusha

Groundwater off Kilimanjaro surfacing into a fig-shaded pool clear enough to see the roots below you. It is 70 km out and about an hour and twenty each way, so it takes a whole day, and it is the only thing near Arusha that is a swim rather than a viewing.

TimeFull day
CostGate fee plus transport
Best atWeekday mornings
TipThe last stretch is rough road, so take a 4x4 or a booked transfer
Map
10

Arusha Declaration Museum

Museum· Central Arusha, beside the Uhuru roundabout

The 1967 Arusha Declaration was signed in this city and committed Tanzania to self-reliance and ujamaa for the next two decades. The museum is small and unglossy, and it is the one place that lays the whole argument out in Nyerere’s own words.

Time45 minutes
CostSmall admission at the door
Best atWeekday morning
TipRead it after the Old Boma; together they cover the colonial and independence arc
Map↗ National Museum of Tanzania

Arusha, mapped

Arusha · 7 spots
AllParksMuseumsMarketsFree

Arusha travel FAQ

Is Arusha worth staying in, or only a stop before the safari?+
Two days justify it. Arusha National Park is 40 minutes east and is the only northern park you can walk in, and the city holds the tanzanite museum, the Old Boma and three working markets. Most itineraries allow one night, which is one too few.
When is the best time to visit Arusha?+
June to October is dry, clear and cool, and it is when the safari parks read best. January and February sit between the two rainy seasons and are a good second choice. The long rains run March to May, the short rains November to December.
How do you get from Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha?+
The airport is about 50 km east and the drive takes roughly an hour. Shuttle buses, licensed taxis and lodge transfers all meet arriving flights. Agree the fare before leaving the terminal if you are taking a street taxi rather than a booked transfer.
Do you need a visa for Tanzania?+
Most visitors do. The ordinary single-entry tourist visa costs USD 50 and is applied for through the government eVisa portal before travel. United States passport holders are issued a USD 100 multiple-entry visa instead. Approval usually takes a few working days.
Can you climb Mount Meru without doing Kilimanjaro?+
Yes, and plenty of people climb it as the acclimatisation trek before Kilimanjaro. The Momella route takes three or four days from Arusha National Park, with huts at 2,514 m and 3,566 m. An armed ranger walks with every group and unguided ascents are not allowed.
The northern circuit

Safari parks within reach of Arusha

The five parks Arusha is the doorway to, with real road distances.
Tarangire National ParkManyara Region

Tarangire National Park

120 km · about 2 hr

Baobabs and the densest elephant herds in the north, on the Dodoma road south-west of the city.

Map↗ TANAPA
Manyara Region

Lake Manyara National Park

125 km · 2 to 3 hr

A narrow strip between the Rift wall and the lake. Baboons, flamingos and a short first day out.

Map↗ TANAPA
Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Crater

190 km · 3 to 4 hr

A collapsed caldera with resident lion, elephant and rhino, run by its own authority rather than by TANAPA.

Map↗ NCAA
Serengeti National ParkNorthern Tanzania

Serengeti National Park

420 km · fly or a full day

The long drive, and the reason most people came. Around 420 km by road, or a light aircraft hop from Arusha Airport.

Map↗ TANAPA
Kilimanjaro National ParkKilimanjaro Region

Kilimanjaro National Park

Climbed from Moshi

The mountain is climbed from Moshi, but the crews, kit and briefings are Arusha’s business.

Map↗ TANAPA
Soko

Best markets in Arusha

Three working markets, none of them built for visitors.
Kati

Arusha Central Market (Soko Kuu)

Daily

Bondeni Street, and sensory overload: produce, spices, secondhand clothes and carvings in one block.

Map
Kati

Kilombero Market

Daily

Sokoine Road. The second-largest produce market, and a far easier first visit than Soko Kuu.

Map
Tengeru

Tengeru Market

Wed and Sat

Wednesdays and Saturdays, 13 km east on the Moshi road. This is where the region actually shops.

Map
Where to eat

Best restaurants in Arusha

Five Arusha tables, from a pavement grill to a hillside terrace.
Central Arusha

Khan’s BBQ

Grill

A spare-parts shop by day and Arusha’s best-known pavement grill after dark. Mishkaki, chicken, naan, no menu.

Map
Haile Selassie Road

The Blue Heron

Continental

Continental plates and wood-fired pizza in a garden off Haile Selassie Road.

Map
North of the centre

Onsea House

Fine dining

A hillside terrace north of the centre with a Belgian-run kitchen, and the view most Arusha kitchens lack.

Map
Central Arusha

Africafe Coffee House

Coffee

Tanzanian beans roasted properly, and the default Arusha breakfast before a 6am departure.

Map
Central Arusha

Fifi’s

Breakfast

All-day breakfast and baking, and where the NGO and tour-operator half of the city reads its email.

Map
Water off Meru

Waterfalls around Arusha

Three falls on the mountain’s southern slopes, each a morning’s work.
Olgilai

Themi Falls

5 km

The closest, about 5 km out at Olgilai on Meru’s lower slopes, with a leisure park at the foot.

Map
Meru District

Napuru Waterfalls

12 km · 30 to 40 min drive

Twelve kilometres from town, then a walk in through farm plots and forest to the pool.

Map
Arusha National Park

Tululusia Waterfall

Inside the park

A 28 metre drop inside Arusha National Park, reached on foot. A ranger has to walk you in.

Map
The city, ward by ward

Arusha neighbourhoods

Five Arusha wards and what each one is for.
Kati

Kati

Central

The central business ward: the Clock Tower, Soko Kuu, the Old Boma and most of the safari offices.

Map
Sekei

Sekei

Residential

North-east of the centre, named for the seki tree that grew here before the town did.

Map
Themi

Themi

Institutional

The AICC flats and the diplomatic end of the city, on the slope above the Themi river.

Map
Unga Limited

Unga Limited

Industrial

Named for the flour mill, and still the warehouse and workshop side of Arusha.

Map
Meru District

Usa River

Lodges

East on the Moshi road, seat of Meru District, and where the lodges and the park turn are.

Map
Out of town

Day trips from Arusha

Four days out that do not involve a park gate.
Meserani

Meserani Snake Park

25 km

Twenty-five kilometres west on the Dodoma road: Tanzania’s snakes, a Maasai museum and camel rides.

Map↗ Meserani Snake Park
Manyara Region

Mto wa Mbu

120 km

A village of many tribes at the foot of the Rift wall, and one of Tanzania’s first cultural tourism sites.

Map
LongidoLongido District

Longido

80 km

Eighty kilometres north on the Namanga road: Maasai walks, and a mountain you can climb in a day.

Map
MoshiKilimanjaro Region

Moshi

80 km

An hour and a half east under Kilimanjaro, slower than Arusha, and the start line of the Kilimanjaro Marathon.

Map
Civic Arusha

Arusha landmarks

Three places that explain why a safari town has an international quarter.
The Clock TowerKati

The Clock Tower

Free

The city’s reference point for directions, and the roundabout locals say sits midway between Cairo and Cape Town.

Map
Themi

Arusha International Conference Centre

Exterior only

Headquarters of the East African Community, seat of the African Court, and where the Rwanda tribunal sat.

Map↗ East African Community
Arusha Declaration MonumentKati

Arusha Declaration Monument

Free

The Uhuru roundabout memorial, unveiled in 1977 for the declaration’s tenth anniversary, panelled with farmers and their tools.

Map
What's on

Festivals & annual events in Arusha (2026)

Time your trip around the city's biggest dates.
Late February or early March

Kilimanjaro Marathon

Run from Moshi, 80 km east, with a half and a fun run alongside the full distance.

Early June

Karibu-KiliFair

East Africa’s largest tourism trade fair, alternating each year between Arusha and Moshi.

26 April

Union Day

Marks the 1964 union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. A public holiday, so museums and offices shut.

7 July

Saba Saba

Industry and trade day, named for the seventh day of the seventh month. A public holiday.

8 August

Nane Nane

Farmers’ day, marked with a week-long agricultural exhibition in each zone. A public holiday.

14 October

Nyerere Day

The anniversary of Julius Nyerere’s death in 1999, and a public holiday nationwide.

9 December

Independence Day

Tanganyika’s independence from Britain in 1961. Parades, and a public holiday.

Moves with the lunar calendar

Eid al-Fitr

Two public holidays close Ramadan. Shops shut and the markets are quiet the morning after.

Getting around

Arusha transport & airports

How to arrive and move around the city.

Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)

The long-haul gateway, about 50 km east of Arusha and roughly an hour by road. Shuttles, licensed taxis and lodge transfers all meet arrivals.

↗ Kilimanjaro Airport

Arusha Airport (ARK)

A few kilometres west of the centre, and the base for light aircraft to the Serengeti, Manyara and Zanzibar.

↗ Tanzania Airports Authority

Dala dala

Minibuses running fixed routes and flagged down anywhere along them. A single ride is around TZS 400, paid in cash to the conductor.

Taxis and Bolt

Bolt covers the city and settles most short hops at a few thousand shillings. Street taxis are unmetered, so agree the fare before you get in.

↗ Bolt
Traditional food

Must-try dishes in Arusha, Tanzania

The classics to order before you leave.
Nyama choma, Arusha (Wimup travel guide)

Nyama choma

Goat or beef grilled over charcoal, cut at the table and eaten with salt and kachumbari.

Chipsi mayai, Arusha (Wimup travel guide)

Chipsi mayai

Chips folded into an omelette on the same grills. Breakfast or 2am, rarely between.

Ugali, Arusha (Wimup travel guide)

Ugali

Stiff maize meal, torn by hand and used to lift stew. The staple everything is served against.

Kachumbari, Arusha (Wimup travel guide)

Kachumbari

Raw tomato, onion and chilli cut fine. It arrives with the grill whether you ask or not.

Mishkaki

Marinated beef skewers off a pavement grill. The default Arusha street dinner.

Ndizi nyama

Chagga cooking from the Kilimanjaro slopes: green bananas stewed down with meat.

Mchemsho

The northern boiled plate: meat with potato, carrot, plantain and green pepper.

Mandazi

Lightly sweet fried dough, sold by the bag at bus stands and eaten with chai.

Arusha fact sheet

Arusha at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
Tanzania
Region
Arusha Region, northern Tanzania
Population
617,631 in the city (2022 census)
Founded
German garrison post, boma completed 1900
Nickname
The Geneva of Africa, for its tribunals and the East African Community
Language
Swahili is official; English carries tourism and business
Currency
Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
Time zone
East Africa Time (UTC+3), no daylight saving
Calling code
+255, area code 027
Airports
Kilimanjaro International (JRO) 50 km east; Arusha Airport (ARK) for light aircraft
Power
230V, 50Hz, plug types D and G
Emergency
112 police, 114 ambulance, 115 fire
Ideal length
2 to 3 days, plus the safari
Getting around
Dala dala minibuses, taxis and Bolt

Interesting facts

  • Tanzanite is mined in about four square kilometres of the Merelani Hills and nowhere else on earth.
  • The Rwanda tribunal was seated in Arusha from the mid-1990s until it closed in December 2015.
  • The city is headquarters of the East African Community and seat of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
  • The Arusha Declaration of 1967 was signed here and set Tanzania’s course of self-reliance for two decades.
  • Arusha sits at about 1,400 m, which is why the nights need a jacket in every month of the year.

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