Planning · 7 min read
Day Trips from Arusha: Safari, Waterfalls and Hot Springs
One free day in Arusha is enough for a full safari, a waterfall hike or a swim in turquoise spring water. Here are the six we run most.
The short answerThe best day trips from Arusha are a Tarangire safari (from $250), a Lake Manyara safari (from $240), an Arusha National Park game drive or walking safari, and the Materuni waterfalls, Chagga coffee and Chemka hot springs combination (from $130). All are private, include transport and fees, and start and end at your Arusha hotel.
Volunteers with a free Saturday, travellers waiting for a Kilimanjaro climb, families with a spare day before Zanzibar — Arusha is a better base than most people realise. Everything below is a genuine day trip: leave after breakfast, back for dinner.
1. Tarangire National Park — from $250
The strongest wildlife day available. Two hours south of Arusha, huge dry-season elephant herds along the river, baobabs, lion and giraffe, picnic lunch inside the park. Out at 06:30, back around 18:30.
2. Lake Manyara National Park — from $240
Groundwater forest, hippo pools, elephants and flamingos on the soda lake, with the Rift Valley escarpment behind. Add the treetop canopy walkway if you want an hour on foot. Out at 07:00, back around 18:00.
3. Arusha National Park
The closest park of all, 45 minutes from town. Giraffe, buffalo, colobus monkeys and the Momella lakes, with Kilimanjaro visible on a clear morning. It is the only northern park where you can do a walking safari with an armed ranger, which makes it a good choice with older children.
4. Materuni waterfalls, Chagga coffee and Chemka hot springs — from $130
The best non-safari day out of Arusha. A walk through banana and coffee shambas to a waterfall in the Kilimanjaro foothills, a hands-on coffee tour with the village, a hot local lunch, then an afternoon swimming in the turquoise Kikuletwa hot springs. It is also the best value day we sell.
5. Arusha itself
Half a day is enough for the Maasai central market, the Cultural Heritage Centre and a coffee on Themi Hill. Pair it with a morning at the Fruitful Orphanage if you are volunteering, or with an afternoon at the Chemka springs.
Which one should you choose?
- ·Want big animals and only have one day: Tarangire.
- ·Want variety, birds and an easy pace: Lake Manyara.
- ·Travelling with children or want to walk: Arusha National Park.
- ·Want scenery, culture and swimming on a budget: Materuni and Chemka.
- ·Have two days: Tarangire on the first, Materuni and Chemka on the second.
How our day trips work
Every trip is private — your own 4x4 and driver-guide, no shared seats and no strangers. Prices are per person in USD and include park or entrance fees, lunch, water and hotel pick-up in Arusha or from Kilimanjaro Airport. And as with every Fruits & Love Safaris trip, 10% of what you pay goes to the Fruitful Orphanage & Day Care Center in Arusha.
About the author
Isaac Sumary
Isaac is a Tanzanian safari guide from Arusha and the founder of both the Fruitful Orphanage & Day Care Center and Fruits & Love Safaris. He has been driving the northern circuit for over a decade, and 10% of every safari payment goes back to the children in his care. Reach him on +255 762 353 576 or isaacsumary@yahoo.com.
Planning a trip?
We run private safaris from Arusha and give 10% of every payment to the Fruitful Orphanage. Send us your dates and we will reply within 24 hours with a quote in USD.
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