Arusha National Park

Most travellers sleep beside Arusha National Park without ever entering it — and miss one of northern Tanzania’s loveliest days out. The park wraps around Mount Meru, Tanzania’s second-highest peak, and packs rainforest, open glade, the Ngurdoto Crater and the alkaline Momella Lakes into a compact, beautiful whole.

Because the park holds no resident lion, it is one of the few places on the northern circuit where you can leave the vehicle. Armed-ranger walking safaris cross the lower slopes among giraffe and buffalo; canoe safaris paddle the Momella Lakes past hippo and waterbirds with Kilimanjaro floating on the horizon on clear mornings.

Colobus monkeys — black-and-white, long-haired and spectacular — swing through the fig forest, and flamingos often colour the lakes pink. Ngurdoto Crater, a miniature Ngorongoro carpeted in green, is best admired from the rim viewpoints.

We use Arusha NP as a soft landing after a long flight, an active day for families, or a farewell to Tanzania that does not involve hours of driving. It is also the trailhead for Mount Meru climbs, the finest acclimatisation trek for Kilimanjaro.