In short
Arusha is a transit town, and that is its acknowledged role: it is where the safaris of the northern Tanzanian circuit leave from — Serengeti, the Ngorongoro crater, Tarangire, Lake Manyara — along with Kilimanjaro climbs.
The town itself, at about 1,400 metres at the foot of Mount Meru, has a lively central market and a real urban life, but few monuments. You spend a night or two here, before and after.
Arriving and getting around
Two airports, and the confusion is expensive. Kilimanjaro International (JRO) is some fifty kilometres out and takes international flights. Arusha Airport, in town, serves only light aircraft to the park airstrips.
Transfers are by shuttle or private car; safari operators generally include the journey.
No park is reachable by public transport: the safari is done in a vehicle with a driver-guide, and that is the only model.
What it really costs
Park entry fees are the dominant item, not accommodation: they are charged per day and per person, and the Ngorongoro crater carries an additional descent fee. Consult the official TANAPA and NCAA rates before setting a budget — they are revised regularly.
A safari is sold as an all-inclusive package over several days. Compare on the number of parks, the number of nights inside the parks and the type of vehicle.
When to come
June–October is the dry season: animals concentrated around waterholes, passable tracks, maximum visibility. It is also the most expensive.
January–February is a second dry window, with the calving in the southern Serengeti.
March–May are the long rains: some tracks become impassable and camps close.
What nobody tells you
The great migration has no fixed calendar. The wildebeest herds move with the rains, and their position varies by several weeks from one year to the next. An operator guaranteeing a river crossing on a precise date is selling a certainty that does not exist.
Ngorongoro is not a national park but a conservation area, where the Maasai have retained grazing rights. The status differs, and so do the rules.
Mount Meru, at 4,566 metres, is climbed in three or four days from Arusha and serves as acclimatisation for Kilimanjaro. It is far less busy.
