Review by Jo Kromberg
The closest national park to Arusha town – the northern Tanzania safari capital – Arusha National Park is a multi-faceted jewel, often overlooked by safari -goers, despite offering the opportunity to explore a beguiling diversity of habitats within a few hours as Jaco van Wyk discovered.
I have a Iove affair with Kilimanjaro; there is something magical about the roof of Africa. My current pilgrimage is my third to this African giant. Kilimanjaro is always my main focus when I visit Tanzania, although on a previous trip a visit to Zanzibar was included. Experience has taught me that a rest day before climbing the Great Mountain is recommended, because of two reasons. Often baggage gets lost. On all three trips at least one member of our group has lost a bag. That meant that we had to wait for the missing luggage, which often arrived late the following day on the next available flight. The second reason is that we often get to bed at two or three o’ clock in the morning and then have to get up again at five to start ascending the mountain. We are tired even before we start the arduous journey!
On the so-called “off day” I decided not to hang around the hotel, but to visit the often overlooked Arusha National Park. I was the only one in our group to undertake this outing, the rest wanted to sleep late, hang around the pool of the Springlands Hotel or visit the markets and shops of Moshi, the town at the foot of Kilimanjaro.
After a short night’s sleep I woke up at 05:30 local time. The breakfast was delicious, but as always, the colour of the eggs intrigued me; as in East Africa the egg’s yolk is always white. I had to wait a while for my guide to arrive, and we left just before eight. Unlike most game drives in other game parks in Africa. I decided to leave later, because it was overcast and the mist around Mount Meru at the Arusha National Park first had to clear. It is better to take photographs during the middle part of the day, because there is direct sunlight and the animals tend to be more active compared to those in other game reserves, because of the high altitude.
The hotel staff introduced me to my guide, Bakari Shabani. Like all Tanzanians, he was very friendly. He looked slightly intoxicated, probably from a good party the previous evening, for his eyes were a yellowish red. I later learned that he was a Muslim, but not a practising one, which explained a lot. I was the only mzungu (“white man” in Swahili), in our safari vehicle. This was great, for I could decide when and where to drive. But it was bad for business and I missed the company of fellow adventurers. There were fewer eyes to spot game and I would have liked to learn other mzungus’ impressions of the Arusha National Park.
“We first have to pick up lunch,” said Bakari when we stopped at a shop with its customary Coco-Cola signboard outside. Bakari seemed to know everyone and he had to establish their well-being in detail, so I waited quite a while at Chrisburger Snacks for the lunch boxes. I realised that I was in 'Hakuna Matata' country. Apparently everything took “only one minute”, which normally meant five minutes or longer, but suddenly I didn’t care. I was a bit tired, but as always when travelling in Africa, I felt I was living a dream – visiting an African game reserve is always a joy. | 
