Full Day Private Safari Tour: Arusha National Park from Moshi

Walk among wild animals, then drive the crater rim at sunset

A full-day private safari in Arusha National Park near Moshi combines a guided walking safari with an armed ranger and an afternoon game drive, covering Mount Meru, the Momella Lakes and Ngurdoto Crater. Hotel pickup and lunch are included. You'll see giraffes, zebras, antelopes, buffalos, monkeys and birds year-round, with chances for leopards and elephants.

Step-by-step itinerary

Full day safari in Arusha National Park

• Pick up from hotel in morning
• Drive to Ngongongare Gate entrance
• Complete park entry formalities
• Drive to Momella Gate
• Join armed ranger for walking safari
• Observe wildlife close up
• Have lunch at picnic spot by Momella Lakes
• Afternoon game drive to Ngurdoto Crater
• Learn about park and animals from guide
• Drive back to hotel at sunset

The experience

Ten hours from hotel pickup to return gives you time to move through the park's 137 square kilometers without rushing. Your English-speaking guide collects you in the morning and drives to Ngongongare Gate, where the day's two-part rhythm begins: a walking safari in the early hours, then a game drive in the afternoon. The park sits between Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, close enough to Moshi that the drive itself is short, leaving most of the day for the animals and the landscape.

The walking safari is the centerpiece. At Momella Gate, an armed ranger joins you and your guide for a close-quarters walk through the bush. Something only a handful of Tanzania's parks allow. You move on foot past colobus monkeys, velvet monkeys, bushbucks, buffalos, red forest duikers and hippos, with the real possibility of seeing elephants and leopards, though they're rare. Birdlife, especially waterfowl, is constant. Lunch comes at a picnic spot overlooking the Momella Lakes, where the water shifts color depending on the algae and minerals in each lake.

The afternoon game drive takes you to Ngurdoto Crater, a three-kilometer-wide depression formed fifteen million years ago, and across the park's other wildlife zones. Your guide narrates the landscape, the animals and the ecology as you drive. The return to your hotel happens in the late afternoon, timed so you catch the sunset on the way back.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel.
• bottled water throughout the day.
• lunch at a picnic spot with views over the Momella Lakes.
• all park fees and taxes.
• an experienced English-speaking guide.
• an armed ranger for the walking safari.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (7 to 80 years) · Under 7: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 23 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Moshi Tours and Transfer

Is this one for you?Hotel pickup means you don't need a car or a way to reach the park entrance. Your guide collects you in the morning and returns you in the afternoon, so the full day of walking and driving fits into one seamless itinerary from wherever you're staying in Moshi.

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Top questions

What animals will I see on the walking safari in Arusha National Park?

Colobus monkeys, velvet monkeys, bushbucks, buffalos, red forest duikers and hippos are present year-round on the walking safari. Elephants and leopards live in the park but are rarely spotted. Birdlife, especially waterfowl, is abundant throughout the day.

Can I really walk among the animals, or is it only a game drive?

The walking safari is the defining part of this tour. An armed ranger accompanies you and your guide on foot through the bush at close quarters: a rare opportunity in Tanzania's national parks. The afternoon is a game drive, but the morning walk is where the close observation happens.

What is the Momella Lakes and why are they different colors?

The Momella Lakes are a series of lakes in the park known for their notably different colored waters, caused by varying algae and mineral content in each lake. You'll see them from the picnic spot where lunch is served during the walking safari.

How long is the drive from Moshi to Arusha National Park?

The drive from Moshi to Ngongongare Gate is short because the park sits close to town. Your guide picks you up at your hotel in the morning, so the total time in the park and traveling is ten hours from pickup to return.

What is Ngurdoto Crater and when was it formed?

Ngurdoto Crater is a three-kilometer-wide depression in the park formed about fifteen million years ago. You'll see it during the afternoon game drive, and it's one of the park's three most significant features alongside Mount Meru and the Momella Lakes.