Arusha National Park covers
Mount MeruMount Meru is an active stratovolcano located west of Mount Kilimanjaro in the nation of Tanzania. At a height of , it is still visible from Mt Kilimanjaro on a clear day, and is the fifth highest mountain in Africa. Much of its bulk was lost about 8,000 years ago due to an eastward volcanic...
, a prominent
volcano3. Conduit
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15...
with an elevation of 4566 m, in the
Arusha RegionArusha is one of Tanzania's 26 administrative regions. The regional capital and largest city is Arusha. Other towns include Monduli, just west of Arusha, Longido and Loliondo to the north, Mto Wa Mbu and Karatu to the west and Usa River to the east...
of north eastern
TanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.The United...
.
The park is small but varied with spectacular landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crater funnels the Jekukumia River; the peak of Mount Meru lies on its rim.
Ngurdoto CraterNgurdoto Crater is a volcanic crater in Tanzania. The crater is 3.6 km in diameter at its widest and 100 m deep. Ngurdoto Crater is surrounded by forest whilst the crater floor is a swamp. It is located in Arusha National Park....
in the south-east is
grasslandGrasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
. The shallow alkaline Momella Lakes in the north-east have varying
algalAlgae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms. The largest and most complex marine forms are called seaweeds. They are photosynthetic, like plants, and "simple" because they lack the many distinct organs found in...
colours and are known for their wading birds.
Mount Meru is the second highest peak in Tanzania after
Mount KilimanjaroKilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania rising from its base , and is additionally the highest peak in Africa at , providing a dramatic view of the surrounding plains.-Climatic conditions:While the volcano appears...
, which is just 60 km away and forms a backdrop to views from the park to the east.
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Arusha National Park covers
Mount MeruMount Meru is an active stratovolcano located west of Mount Kilimanjaro in the nation of Tanzania. At a height of , it is still visible from Mt Kilimanjaro on a clear day, and is the fifth highest mountain in Africa. Much of its bulk was lost about 8,000 years ago due to an eastward volcanic...
, a prominent
volcano3. Conduit
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15...
with an elevation of 4566 m, in the
Arusha RegionArusha is one of Tanzania's 26 administrative regions. The regional capital and largest city is Arusha. Other towns include Monduli, just west of Arusha, Longido and Loliondo to the north, Mto Wa Mbu and Karatu to the west and Usa River to the east...
of north eastern
TanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in central East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.The United...
.
The park is small but varied with spectacular landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crater funnels the Jekukumia River; the peak of Mount Meru lies on its rim.
Ngurdoto CraterNgurdoto Crater is a volcanic crater in Tanzania. The crater is 3.6 km in diameter at its widest and 100 m deep. Ngurdoto Crater is surrounded by forest whilst the crater floor is a swamp. It is located in Arusha National Park....
in the south-east is
grasslandGrasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
. The shallow alkaline Momella Lakes in the north-east have varying
algalAlgae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms. The largest and most complex marine forms are called seaweeds. They are photosynthetic, like plants, and "simple" because they lack the many distinct organs found in...
colours and are known for their wading birds.
Mount Meru is the second highest peak in Tanzania after
Mount KilimanjaroKilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania rising from its base , and is additionally the highest peak in Africa at , providing a dramatic view of the surrounding plains.-Climatic conditions:While the volcano appears...
, which is just 60 km away and forms a backdrop to views from the park to the east. Arusha National Park lies on a 300-kilometre axis of Africa's most famous national parks, running from
SerengetiThe Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region located in north-western Tanzania and extends to south-western Kenya between latitudes 1 and 3 S and longitudes 34 and 36 E...
and Ngorongoro Crater in the west to
Kilimanjaro National ParkKilimanjaro National Park is a national park, located near Moshi, Tanzania. It is centered on Mount Kilimanjaro, and covers an area of 753 km² from 2°45'–3°25'S, 37°00'–37°43'E....
in the east.
The park is just a few kilometres north east of
ArushaArusha is a city of northern Tanzania surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks. Beautifully situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, it has a pleasant climate and is close to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake...
, though the main gate is 25 km east of the city. It is also 58 km from
MoshiMoshi is a Tanzanian town with a population of 144,739 in Kilimanjaro Region. The town is situated on the lower slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro, a volcanic mountain that is the highest mountain in Africa....
and 35 km from
Kilimanjaro International AirportKilimanjaro International Airport is the second, albeit small international airport of Tanzania . It serves the Kilimanjaro area including the cities of Arusha and Moshi near Mount Kilimanjaro, and the international tourism industry based on Mount Kilimanjaro, Arusha National Park, Ngorongoro...
(KIA).
Wildlife
Arusha National Park has a rich variety of wildlife. Despite the small size of the park, common animals include giraffe, buffalo, zebra, warthog, the
black-and-white colobusBlack-and-white colobus are Old World monkeys of the genus Colobus, native to Africa, and are closely related to the red colobus monkeys of genus Piliocolobus...
monkey, the blue monkey, flamingos and more.
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