Northern Zone Regions

Arusha,Karatu,West Arumeru,East Arumeru,Longido,Monduli,Ngorongoro

Arusha Region in Brief:

Arusha Region is situated in northern Tanzania, just below Mount Meru and at an elevation of 1,500 m above sea level, the fast growing town of Arusha has long been the ideal gateway to East Africa’s most famous wildlife areas: it is now also a popular centre for international meetings, conventions, and conferences. Indeed, it has also become the main trading centre for Tanzanite; a unique gemstone mined in northern Tanzania and found nowhere else in the world. Lying halfway between Cairo and Cape Town, the town has a history that starts in the last decade of the 19^th century when Captain Johannes built a fort at the foot of Mount Meru to facilitate the German colonization of what later became known as Tanganyika. From the little fort, which still stands and has been converted into a museum of natural history, the town of Arusha grew: first as a trading post for the local people, and now into a famous center for various international activities. The visit of the former U.S President Bill Clinton in 2000 left the town with the praise name the Genera of Africa. As the hub of the country’s tourism industry, Arusha is the starting point for many wildlife and climbing point for many wildlife and climbing safaris in the northern circuit of Tanzania wildlife sanctuaries. The circuit encompasses the famous national parks of Serengeti, Tarangire, and Lake Manyara as well as the great landmarks of Ngorongoro Crater, Oldupai Gorge, and Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest Mountain. The town is also home to the headquarters of Tanzania National Parks as well as a branch office for African wildlife Foundation and other conservation institutions. As a center for various international activities, today Arusha is the headquarters of the East Africa Community (E.A.C). E.A.C is an organic of economic cooperation among the seven (7) East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and South Sudan. Another international body, one of many centred in Arusha, is Esami (Eastern and Southern African Management Institute). With such a background as a place for safari makers, delegates, and prospectors, Arusha has hotels, restaurants, and shops of all standards. The Town has a wide assortment of safari companies and several tourism information offices, including the Tanzania Tourist Board near the clock Tower. The town is connected to the rest of the world by Kilimanjaro International Airport, 42 km away, and the great North Road that enters Tanzania from Nairobi, Kenya.

Getting There / How to get in Arusha

• By Air; Kilimanjaro International Airport and Arusha Airport serve the town of Arusha. The former is about a half – hour’s drive away on the Moshi road, and the latter is just at the outskirts of the town on the Dodoma Road. International airlines that use Kilimanjaro International Airport include KLM, Turkish Air, Air Uganda, Quatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Precision Air, Condor Air, Kenya Airways and Air Tanzania. A number of domestic airlines connect Arusha with Zanzibar and other main towns of Tanzania. Some of these are Regional Air, Northern Air, Coastal Aviation, Zan Air, and Air Excell. Most of these offer charter services and so land in the airstrips of the northern tourism circuit.

• By Road: Arusha is accessible by road from virtually any corner of the country. First the road from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi, via Moshi goes through Arusha and is well served by a number of shuttle buses, as well as the intercity public buses. These intercity buses also connect Arusha with the coastal town of Tanga. Secondly, Arusha is connected to the gates of the national parks of the northern circuit by good paved roads.