Arusha
Travel Advice for Seniors: Arusha
One safari in Africa is simply not enough. We had previously traveled in Botswana and Namibia on a three-week safari and after getting on the plane to depart back to the US, Mom and I both looked at each other and at the same time said “How soon can we come back?”. Africa has that effect on you.
Our second African safari started in Arusha, Tanzania, a common starting point for many safaris. Arusha is a large city located at the base of volcanic Mt. Meru. This is also a destination for those traveling to Mt Kilimanjaro, which is about 60 miles to the northeast. We didn’t really spend a lot of time in the city as we traveled to several parks in the area for safaris, which was our purpose for visiting Tanzania. We were there to see the annual Wildebeest Migration, but we had a lot of safaris to do on our way to the Serengeti and Masai Mara!
For those interested, we met a group of senior men who were going to hike up Mt Kilimanjaro. As it turns out they were indeed HIKING up the mountain, however, in reality, their porters were carrying their packs, and they were staying in huts on the way up/down. It’s still a very demanding hike, but it was good to know that resources are available for those interested. The good news is that Kili is not a bad beginner mountain and arguably no hiking experience is needed, of course you do need to be in pretty good shape! No mountain-climbing for us though!
We stayed at RiverTrees Country Inn, which was outside of town. It was a nice inn, and my fondest memory is of the fantastic in-room massage. Nothing quite like a massage to work out the kinks from a very long flight and get you over the jet lag hump! The massage included a special lemongrass tea and an hour massage followed by a lemongrass bath which was run for us in the stone tub in our room. Highly recommended trip treat!
For our first and only day in the Arusha area, we started at Momela Lakes in Arusha National Park, for a private canoe safari. The canoeing was actually a bit more work than we had anticipated (we were in charge of our own canoe and keeping up with the group). While the guide did a good job keeping us all together, unfortunately, there wasn’t much to see. There were plenty of hippos, but we kept well away from them because they can be very mean if disturbed. We did see some remarkable bird life on the lakes, but not from the canoe vantage point. I would skip this next time, but don’t skip the park!
Momela Lakes are truly a gift for birdwatchers. Over 400 species of birds are here, including large flocks of flamingos and even some cliff dwelling raptors.
Arusha National Park has a large concentration of giraffes, water buffalo, zebra, elephants and hippos, not to mention the wonderful birdlife. The greatest sight was actually Mt Meru, which was visible in the park and on the day we visited. The grasslands and the wildlife in the shadow of the mountain makes for some great pictures. We had a packed lunch provided by the game tour and ate at a sheltered area by the Lakes, which provided a beautiful view.
While I wouldn’t spend too much time here, it was worth a day’s adventure and for those hungry to see some wildlife on the first day of travel, like we were, it was a wonderful day. But we were just getting warmed up for the main show further west….
Where we stayed: RiverTrees Country Inn. Breakfast included.Very nice accommodation.
How we got there: Flight from US to Aursha. This was part of a three-week private tour through Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.
General Accessibility Information: Tanzania is generally not considered very handicapped accessible, with limited wheelchair accessibility in most places. Some tour operators offer accessible tours, and some high-end hotels are accessible.Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements.See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
