Arusha, Tanzania; an Expert Guide to the city

Surrounded by some of the most fascinating and varied national parks in Africa, Arusha sits snugly on the foothills of Mount Meru in a wide expanse of high and fertile volcanic land.

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To the northeast the impressive silhouette of Kilimanjaro looms against the sky, while just a short distance northwest lie the plains of Maasailand, the mountains, rivers and lakes of Ngorongoro, Manyara, Tarangire and the plains of the Serengeti. Arusha even has its own National Park, tucked behind the wide coffee plantations that flank the Moshi Road, which spans a curious landscape of lakes and craters, including a large portion of Mount Meru, and provides a scenic and quiet haven just a few minutes drive from the town centre.

Skirted by a rapid haphazard growth of shanty stalls and housing, this old German garrison town in the middle of Maasailand is vibrant, colourful and thriving in its role as the northern centre for commerce and safari operations. Most international tour operators liaise with specialised operators based here for all explorations of the surrounding National Parks. Arusha was once the centre for the East African Community, an alliance between Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda; its Conference Centre is now the base for the War Crimes Tribunals being negotiated between Rwanda and Burundi, and remains an important centre for business and commerce in northern Tanzania.

The Arusha National Conference Centre houses most major offices, and many tour companies. As you arrive, whether by air or by road, panoramic views of the surrounding countryside reveal a fertile and well-cultivated land lush with plantations of coffee, maize, beans, and wheat, alongside greenhouses and fields growing fresh flowers for export. This productivity is reflected in Arusha's markets and on most street corners, where astoundingly large avocados, tomatoes and maize cobs are among the crops offered for sale.

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