Arusha is Tanzania’s safari capital — a large, busy market city of 400,000 people at 1,400m altitude between Mount Meru and the Kilimanjaro plains, serving as the operational hub for the Northern Circuit safari industry. Every visitor to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, and Lake Manyara passes through Arusha. The city rewards a day or two of exploration beyond the transit necessity — there is a genuine cultural scene, excellent Tanzanian food, and specific cultural attractions that give context to the Maasai, Chagga, and Arusha communities that live in the surrounding landscape. This guide covers the essentials for a safari visitor spending 1-2 days in Arusha.
Where to Stay in Arusha
- Mount Meru Hotel: USD $80-120/night. Central Arusha, swimming pool, good restaurant. The standard mid-range base for pre/post safari nights.
- Arusha Hotel: USD $100-150/night. Historic colonial hotel built 1895, the first hotel in Tanzania. Courtyard garden, good food. Located at the central Clock Tower.
- African Tulip: USD $120-180/night. Boutique hotel, excellent service, rooftop bar with Mount Meru views.
- Ilboru Safari Lodge: USD $60-90/night. On the outskirts near Arusha NP. Quiet, garden setting, good for early starts toward the parks.
- Masai Camp: USD $10-15 camping / USD $30-40 private room. Long-standing overlander campsite near the centre. Popular with budget travellers and overland trucks.
Eating in Arusha
- Khan’s BBQ: Open-air charcoal BBQ on the road east of the Clock Tower. The most famous Arusha eating experience — whole grilled chicken (kuku choma), goat, and nyama choma (roasted meat) served with ugali, salad, and sauce. Very local, very cheap (USD $5-8 for a full meal), very good. Opens at 18:00, closes when the meat runs out (usually 21:00).
- Shanga Café: At the Shanga Workshop (see below). Ethiopian-influenced East African menu, coffee from single-origin Tanzanian beans, peaceful garden. Good vegetarian options.
- Jay’s Diner: Western and local hybrid menu — pizza, pasta, and nyama choma. Popular with the expat and long-stay tourist community. Good WiFi and charging points.
- Jambo Coffee House: Specialty coffee using single-origin Tanzanian Arabica from the Arusha and Kilimanjaro highlands. Pour-over filter coffee and good pastries. Opens 07:00.
Cultural Sights Worth Your Time
Shanga Workshop: Disability Crafts and Employment
The Shanga Foundation employs approximately 50 people with physical and hearing disabilities to produce high-quality glass beads, jewellery, and fabric products from recycled glass. The workshop is open to visitors (free entry) and guided tours show the full production process: recycling glass bottles and pottery into coloured glass fragments, melting and shaping into beads on metal rods, cooling and polishing, and stringing into jewellery. The products are available in the shop at fair, non-negotiated prices. The glass beadwork is genuinely beautiful and the workshop story — providing skilled employment to people often excluded from formal employment in Tanzania — is compelling. One of the best ethical shopping experiences in East Africa.
Arusha National Park: Colobus and Meru Crater
Arusha National Park (25 km from town, 45-minute drive) is often skipped by Northern Circuit visitors focused on the bigger parks. This is a mistake for visitors with a morning to spare. The park’s 552 sq km includes Ngurdoto Crater (a smaller version of Ngorongoro — a 2-km caldera with buffalo and waterbuck on the floor viewed from the rim), the Momela Lakes (alkaline flamingo lakes similar to Nakuru), and the forest zones of Mount Meru’s lower slopes (black-and-white colobus monkey, blue monkey, and the endemic Arusha francolin). Walking safaris inside the park are allowed with an armed ranger (USD $30 additional to park entry) — rare in Tanzania and excellent for birding. Entry: USD $45 per person + USD $10 vehicle.
Cultural Heritage Centre (Near Arusha Hotel)
A large, reputable curio shop and arts gallery near the Clock Tower displaying quality Tanzanian art, Makonde woodcarving (Tanzania’s most celebrated traditional craft), Tingatinga painting (a bold, naïve art style originating in Dar es Salaam), and Maasai beadwork. Prices are fixed and clearly marked. Not a market experience — this is for visitors wanting quality art at transparent prices rather than market negotiation. The Makonde carvings (ebony sculptures depicting interlocked human forms or abstract Shetani spirit figures) are among the finest traditional crafts in East Africa.
Practical Arusha Information
- ATMs: CRDB Bank, NMB Bank, Stanbic Bank, and Standard Chartered ATMs accept Visa and Mastercard. The CRDB ATM opposite the Clock Tower is the most reliable for international cards.
- Currency: Tanzania Shillings (TZS). USD $1 = approximately TZS 2,500-2,600 in 2024. Bureau de Change on India Street (east of Clock Tower) give competitive rates for USD cash. Note: old-style USD notes (printed before 2006) are often refused in Tanzania.
- Fuel: Multiple fuel stations throughout Arusha. Fill up before departing for any park — no fuel inside national parks.
- Mobile data: Vodacom and Airtel Tanzania. Purchase a Tanzania SIM at any Vodacom shop (multiple in town) for USD $1 with a data bundle of 1GB for approximately USD $2. International roaming from other networks is expensive.
- Medical: Arusha is well-served for medical facilities — AICC Medical Centre, Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC), and multiple pharmacies on Sokoine Road for antimalarial drugs, basic medication, and prescription items.
