LOCATION & CONTACT

Arusha Serena Hotel & Resort is located on the shores of Lake Duluti, 20 kilometres from Arusha, Tanzania and 60 kilometres from Kilimanjaro International Airport. As the gateway to the gateway to the Tanzanian Northern Safari Circuit, the hotel is convenient to Arusha and Mount Meru National Parks and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

One of Tanzania's smallest parks, Arusha National Park was established in 1960 and is also one of its most beautiful and least-visited. Dominated by Mount Meru (4, 566 m), an extinct volcano that is the fifth highest mountain in Africa, the park offers three dramatically distinct zones: the Ngurdoto Crater (often called ‘Little Ngorongoro'), the startlingly blue-green Momela Lakes and the forests, rock and spectacular crater of Mount Meru itself. Easily reached from Arusha, the park offers an exceptional diversity of wildlife, 400 species of birds and some excellent walking, hiking and mountain climbing.

Vegetation includes olive thickets, cedar forests and bamboo forests at the higher elevations. The fauna of the park includes leopards, zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, reedbucks, klipspringers, hippos, buffaloes, elephants, hyenas, mongooses, dik-diks, warthogs, baboons and vervet and colobus monkeys (no lions and no rhinos) with over 400 varieties of birds.

The Ngurdoto Crater
The 15-million-year-old Ngurdoto Crater was formed when molten rock was forced to the Earth's surface by super-heated steam, which slowly built up a core around its vent, imprisoning gases from the Earth's core. Eventually, the trapped gases exploded and the present crater was formed. Today the former volcano is a steep-sided bowl three kms in diameter and its lush swamps and riverine forest are home to rhino, elephant, buffalo, baboon warthog, olive baboon and the black and white colobus monkey. The moist and misty atmosphere provides an ideal habitat for mosses, ferns, lichens and orchids, which give way to mahogany and olive trees and wild date palms.

The Momela Lakes
The seven Momela Lakes (El Kekhotioit, Kusare, Small Momlela, Rishateni, Big Momela, Tulusia and Lekandiro) were born when water filled the depressions left after volcanic mud and rubble spewed out from Mount Meru. Fed by underground streams, the lakes are all alkaline, but thanks to the different species of algae that live in them, each has a strikingly different shade of blue-green. There are 380 species of birds living on the lakes, to include: little grebe, African pochard, ibis, heron, egret and Egyptian geese.

Mount Meru
The second highest mountain in Tanzania, Mount Meru has a circular base some 20km across and rises steeply above the plains as an almost perfect cone with an internal crater surrounded by a steep wall of cliffs. It was formed some quarter-of-a-million-years ago when a massive explosion blew out its whole eastern side, leaving a distinctive asymmetric caldera in its wake. 

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. Beautifully situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, Arusha enjoys a pleasant climate with temperatures ranging between 13 and 30 degrees Celsius.

The primary industry of the region is agriculture, with large vegetable and flower producers sending high-quality produce to Europe. Arusha is also the sole source of a gem-quality mineral called Tanzanite, which is currently produced in large quantities by corporate mining concerns. Given the town's location near such popular tourist attractions as Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Arusha also relies heavily on tourism for income. The town is also home to the offices of the East African Community, and plays host to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. Arusha is served by Kilimanjaro International Airport, which lies 60kms to the east.

The United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania) is situated in Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique. Tanzania's climate is predominately tropical. Coastal areas are usually hot and humid, but on the beaches a sea breeze cools the air considerably. The average day temperature is 30°C. Tanzania has two rainy seasons - the long rains from late March to June and the short rains from November to January. The long rains fall in heavy downpours, often accompanied by violent storms, but the short rains tend to be much less severe. The hottest time of the year is from December to March, before the long rains begin. The coolest months are June, July and August, when the weather is often overcast. In high-altitude areas such as Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro Highlands, temperatures can fall below freezing.

Tanzania has over 120 ethnic groups. Mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African. The landscape of Tanzania is made up of plains along the coast; central plateau; highlands in the north. Kilimanjaro (5, 895 m) is the highest point in the country and in Africa. Tanzania is bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest.

The game parks of Tanzania have been set aside by the government as wildlife and botanical sanctuaries that enjoy a high degree of protection and management. 25% of Tanzania is gazetted as national parks and reserves making conservation a major element in land use. Tanzania has more than 20 game reserves including the world's largest, the Selous. Five game reserves have been declared and there are about 50 game-controlled areas totalling more than 120,000 square kilometres. Forest reserves make up 15% of the country.

The East African plains support some of the last great herds of wildlife left in the world, offering a greater number and diversity of species than any other continent: Tanzania offers over 80 major species, including ‘The Big Five' (elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino and leopard), and 600 species of butterfly. From glacial mountain to savannah plain, semi desert to tropical rainforest, Tanzania's botanical versatility supports more than 1,000 bird species.

Tanzania is a safe country to travel in. Tanzanians are warm-hearted and generous people and are eager to help visitors get the most out of their stay. Tanzania is a politically stable, multi-democratic country. As in all countries, a little common sense goes a long way and reasonable precautions should still be taken, such as locking valuables in the hotel safe and not walking alone at night.

East Africa is the uncontested ‘Safari Capital of the World', and has been since the 1900's when royalty, aristocracy, politicians and movie stars flocked here to hunt the ‘Big Five' (lion, rhino, buffalo, elephant and leopard). The word ‘safari' actually means ‘to travel' and can refer to any journey or trip. When in either a park or a reserve, visitors should observe the following code:

• Respect the privacy of the wildlife, this is their habitat.
• Beware of the animals - they are wild and can be unpredictable.
• Don't crowd the animals or make sudden noises or movements.
• Don't feed the animals - it upsets their diet and leads to human dependence.
• Keep quiet - noise disturbs the wildlife and may antagonize your fellow visitors.
• Stay in your vehicle at all times, except at designated picnic or walking areas.
• Keep below the maximum speed limit (40 kph/25mph).
• Never drive off-road -this severely damages the habitat.
• When viewing wildlife keep to a minimum distance of 20m and pull to the side of the road so as to allow others to pass.
• Leave no litter and never light fires or discard burning objects.
• Respect the cultural heritage of Tanzania - never take pictures of the local people or their habitat without asking their permission, respect the cultural traditions of Tanzania and always dress with decorum.
• Observe the rules: leave the park by dusk; never drive at night in a national park.
• An informed safari is an enhanced safari; carry guidebooks (about the park, wildlife, birds and flora) and binoculars.
• Always travel with plenty of water, wear sensible shoes in case you have to walk, carry a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses.
• The best time for wildlife viewing is 6.30am- 9.30 am and 3.30pm-6.30pm; this is due to the fact that most of the animals retire to the shade to rest during the middle (hottest) part of the day.
• For best viewing, the trick is not to look at the bush but through it. Focus your eyes at mid-range distance, look under bushes and into the shadows, and watch out for those subtle changes in colour and continuity that may indicate the presence of wildlife.