The surrounding area
The Town of Arusha
One of Tanzania’s most developed and fastest growing towns, the bustling ‘Safari Town’ of Arusha is a hive of arrival and departure activity as countless 4WD safari vehicles load up with provisions and set off with their passengers into the endless, game-teeming plains of the mighty Serengeti National Park. Established in 1900 as a minor German military garrison, Arusha lies halfway between the Cape and Cairo and was once a major trading post for the local Waarusha and Wameru tribes. Nowadays it is not only the country’s most active tourism centre but also an important regional business and administrative centre and host to a colourful array of street markets, museums, craft shops, Makonde carving workshops, street cafes, restaurants and bars.

The Arusha National Park
The smallest yet one of the most beguiling of Tanzania’s National Parks, the 137-sq-km Arusha National Park offers an unrivalled diversity of safari experiences due to the three distinct ecological zones of its composition. Activities range from a trek up the forested slopes of a fifteen million years old extinct volcano called Ngurdoto Crater, the discovery of the seven alkaline and flamingo-frosted Momela Lakes, which are the haunt of some 380 species of water birds, or an ascent to the misted heights of Mount Meru. At 4,566m above sea level Mount Meru is the 5th highest mountain in Africa and offers one of the continent’s most rewarding climbs. Once as high as Kilimanjaro, a cataclysmic explosion two hundred and fifty thousand years ago blew out the entire eastern side of the Mountain, leaving only a vast crater and ash cone in its wake. Fauna in the park includes: black and white colobus monkey, leopard, zebra, giraffe, reedbuck, waterbuck, buffalo, hyena, warthog, baboon, elephant and hippo.

The Tanzanian Coffee Industry
Despite the fact that coffee was not planted in Tanzania until the turn of the 20th century, when it was imported by the Jesuit missionaries of Reunion Island, Tanzania is now world famous for the excellence of its coffee, most particularly the Coffea Arabica grown on the slopes of Mount Meru and around the Arusha region. This distinctively flavoured coffee provides the foundation for some of the finest blends of coffee in the world and accounts for 75% of Tanzania’s coffee exports. At Mountain Village guests may wander through the coffee plantations and enjoy a ‘tasting session’ on the estate.

The People of Arusha
There are approximately 120 tribal groups in Tanzania, most of which are so small that one hundred tribes combined would only account for one-third of the total population. As a result, no tribe dominates either politically or culturally. About 95% of Tanzanians are of Bantu origin, the largest tribes being the Sukuma (approximately 13% of the population), the Nyamwezi, Makonde, Haya and Chagga. The Maasai and several smaller groups, including the Arusha and Samburu, are of Nilotic origin. There is also a small but economically significant Asian and Arabic population. According to the most recent census, Tanzania is one of the least-urbanised countries in sub-Saharan Africa, urban dwellers making up only 11.5% of all mainland Tanzanians.

One of the most memorable tribes of the Arusha area is the fabled Maasai. Often strikingly tall and slender, swathed in brilliant red cloth ‘Shukas’, hung about with beads and metal jewellery, the young men (Moran) favour long, plaited, ochre-daubed hairstyles and have a formidable reputation for glamour, prowess and ferocity. Traditionally the Maasai live off the milk and blood of their beloved cattle and believe that all the world’s cattle are theirs by God-given right. Their nomadic and pastoral lifestyle, though historically based on the pursuit of migratory wildlife, is slowly changing as a result of a combination of education, favourable new laws, projects, jobs and income.

How to Get There
Arusha is connected by daily internal flights with Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Mwanza. There are several flights weekly to the Seronera airstrip in Serengeti National Park, Musoma and Shinyanga. There are also frequent flights to Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks. Several international airlines have flights into Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), which is half way between Arusha and Moshi whilst a number of internal flights use Arusha Airport (about 8km out of town).

What to wear and carry with you
Dress, for both men and women, should be modest. For women, skirts or shorts to below the knee or loose-fitting long pants and modest tops with some sort of sleeve are recommended. For men, shorts to the knee or long trousers and shirts with sleeves are recommended. When on safari we suggest that you travel light, dress comfortably (in lightweight cottons in muted colours) and carry a light jacket. Also imperative are; sunglasses, sunhat, sunscreen, insect repellent, camera, film, binoculars and a guide book covering your area of interest.

Climate
Arusha enjoys a temperate climate throughout the year. Two periods of monsoon winds bring most of the country’s rain. The long rains are from March to May, the short rains are between October and December.

Distances to places of interest
Ngurudoto Crater Lakes	30 kms
Kilimanjaro National Park	120 kms
Lake Manyara National Park	127 kms
Ngorongoro Crater	127 kms
Serengeti National Park	340 kms
Arusha Town	20 kms
Kilimanjaro International Airport	30 kms

			Distances from other African Serena properties View distances between Arusha Mountain Village and the other African Serena properties, as well as driving and flight duration.