City: Arusha Region
Top Things to do in Arusha Region
The 6 Best Geologic Formations in Arusha Region, Tanzania
Arusha Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. Its capital and largest city is the city of Arusha. The region is bordered by Kajiado County and Narok County in Kenya to the north, the Kilimanjaro Region to the east, the Manyara and Singida regions to the south, and the Mara and Simiyu regions to the west. Major towns include Monduli, Namanga, Longido, and Loliondo to the north, Mto wa Mbu and Karatu to the west, and Usa River to the east. The region is comparable in size to the combined land and water areas of the United States state of Maryland.
Restaurants in Arusha Region
1. Tarangire National Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,544 reviews
Reviewed By 681janeg
This is an amazing park and even not too crowded! Lots of animal sightings - elephants, wildebeest, lions, leopards, warthogs, antelope (Impalas, Dic-Dic, Thomson and Grand gazelles, zebras, and cape buffalo to name a few. We observed an elephant herd crossing to get to the river for a drink and they walked directly in front of our safari land cruiser. Lots of zebra and elephants. Our guide, Felix (from Nomad Tanzania) was excellent. He never rushed us through the park, but allowed us to take our time and enjoy the animals at our own pace (whether we wanted to spend time viewing them for their activities or just a quick drive by as the Impalas are numerous!). That was most appreciated. This was our first park to visit in Tanzania so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it by far exceeded expectations. The habitats vary - from wetland marshes to dry, long grassy areas to woodland savannahs. Ostriches were a pleasant surprise as well as a leopard with his "kill" lounging in a tree (it was a far distance away so we were grateful to our guide). We saw many elephants and zebra and were amazed at the instincts each displayed. Truly two days very well spent during our time in Tanzania.
2. Ngurdoto Crater
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 513 reviews
Located in Arusha National Park and off limits to humans, this verdant crater’s mossy, swampy habitat provides a natural sanctuary for elephants, buffalo and Colobus monkeys.
Reviewed By doug15johnson - Boulder, United States
Did a day trip into the crater. Plenty of wildlife activities. Do not get out of the vehicle and do not sit on the roof. Wildlife is everywhere and the lions do not pay any attention to the horde of land cruisers. The picnic area was beside a lake loaded with hippos. It was pretty busy with loads of vehicles. Weather was perfect for driving around in an open air vehicle. I would recommend this trip to anyone that wants to see a plethora of wildlife...
3. Empakaai Crater
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 114 reviews
Reviewed By jla100155 - Saint Louis, United States
My husband, 25 year old daughter and me hiked down to the crater. We were accompanied by an armed ranger because sometimes there are wildlife encounters along the trail. This was described a a walk. I would call it a medium to rigorous hike. We are fortunately fit enough to do this, but I would caution anyone that this is not just a casual walk. The reward at the bottom with thousands of flamingos was definitely worth it, but just be prepared for the hike, not a walk.
4. Olduvai Gorge
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 793 reviews
This is one of the most important archaeological site on earth. The geological strata exposed in the gorge reveal a remarkable record of animal and human evolution from about 2 million until 15,000 years ago. Among the significant finds from Olduvai are the range of stone tool types, the thousands of animal fossils- both extinct and extant species- and fossil bones of hominids (pre- Homo sapiens) and early Homo sapiens. The hominid fossils show the evolution of humankind over a 2 million year time span and provide a sense of our recent emergence in the world as modern humans.
Reviewed By Gudmantz - Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world; it has proven invaluable in furthering understanding of early human evolution. A steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley that stretches across East Africa, it is about 48 km (30 mi) long, and is located in the eastern Serengeti Plains within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the Arusha Region, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Laetoli, another important archaeological site of early human occupation. The British/Kenyan paleoanthropologist-archeologist team of Mary and Louis Leakey established and developed the excavation and research programs at Olduvai Gorge which achieved great advances of human knowledge and world-renowned status.
5. Laetoli Footprints
Overall Ratings
1.0 based on 1 reviews
These fossil footprints are from the early human species Australopithecus afarensis, which date back more than 3.5 million years ago.
6. Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Reviewed By 580beths - Richmond, United States
The Ngorongoro Crater is volcanic in origin though the volcano is extinct. There are hundreds if not thousands of African animals living 300 feet down inside it in the lush. green, fertile, and open plains. Our guide, John Latare, with Wild Frontiers Travel, knew all about the inhabitants of the crater, where to find them, how to get around, and the most beautiful vantage points. The crater is so stunning and the animals so plentiful and breathtaking, that all I could think of was that this could be the biblical Garden of Eden. It was mystical and transcended the whole idea of “travel.” If you are in the Tanzania Serengeti area, this place is a must see. It should be on any traveler’s bucket list. There are good lodges on the rim of the crater. Very convenient to allow you as much time as possible down in the crater. We spent about three hours. I would have been able to never leave and just behold the beauty every day for the rest of my life.
