Kid-Friendly Attractions in Arusha
The sprawling town of Arusha is a great destination in Tanzania for family-friendly holidays with a wide range of activities and attractions for kids. Arusha is the gateway to the Safaris, and it features some of the most exciting adventures in Tanzania. From stunning national parks and magnificent mountains to epic biking trails and beautiful lakes, Arusha has it all. If you’re planning a trip with your kids to Arusha, here are some of the family-friendly or child-friendly attractions you may want to visit.
1. Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area
From the highlands to the volcanic craters, including the Ngorongoro volcanic caldera, Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places in the Arusha region. It will surely make a memorable stop for you and your family while in Tanzania. The Ngorongoro volcanic caldera is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, and it’s an exciting place to visit. The park is home to a wide range of wildlife species including the Big 5 (rhinoceros, lion, buffalos, elephants, and leopards) as well as other predators that will get your adrenaline rushing. Your family will have so much to talk about after a visit to the Ngorongoro.
Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area
2. Arusha National Park
Imagine having a picnic lunch inside a beautiful park with amazing topographies. The Arusha National Park may be so far away from home, but you and your family can have homely experiences in this place. The park is characterised by Mount Meru – Tanzania’s second highest mountain peak at 4566m, the exciting Momela lakes with different colours, and the 3km wide Ngurdoto crater which was formed about 15 million years ago.
The kids will definitely enjoy a morning and afternoon game drive to take in the amazing sites around the park. They will also have an opportunity to see the range of wildlife species in the park including the African Buffalos, hippos, giraffe, warthogs, zebras, blue monkey, and many more.
Walking Safari with Children
3. Cultural Heritage Centre
The Cultural Heritage Centre in Arusha features a museum, coffee shop, restaurant, spice centre and shops. The kids will enjoy exploring the centre, take a walk around the grounds and marvel at the sculptures. The museum in the centre is known as Makonde Museum, which features a collection of masterfully carved masks.
You can also take them shopping as you’ll find a range of local souvenirs such as curios, art, tanzanite, and African antiques.
Arusha Cultural Heritage Center
4. The Old Boma Museum
The Old Boma Museum is an exciting place to take the family during your holiday in Arusha. Built by the Germans in the early 1900s, the museum is now the Natural History Museum, where you can learn about the colonial history of Arusha. It features an extensive collection of stuffed animals, and the children will enjoy seeing photos of a wide range of fauna and flora.
Old Boma Museum
5. Amani Children’s Home
Arusha has some of the most beautiful places you’ll ever visit, but there is more to this city than it's natural beauty. A tour of the Amani Children’s Home will give you a more profound sense of humanity and appreciation. Amani Children’s Home is a centre where food, shelter, education, and medical counselling/care are provided for the youths and children of Tanzania since 2001.
The Amani building houses about 100 youths and children who were left homeless due to poverty and diseases. You’re most welcome to spend a day or even a week in this place volunteering your time, materials, and services to a greater cause. This experience is an opportunity for your kids to learn about other children their age from different backgrounds and the kind of challenges they go through.
Amani Children Home
6. Meserani Snake Park
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In most of the other parks, you may not get to hold to animals or get up close and personal with them. But in Meserani Snake Park you get the opportunity to do just that. Hold the wild tortoise, feed the baboons, and get really close to dozens of slithering snakes. The park does have a variety of animals but is home to more snakes than any other creature.
Check out the black mambas, spitting cobras, and African pythons are some of the snakes you’ll see there. Meserani Snake Park is also home to reptile animals like monitor lizards, crocodile, and other reptiles. Some kids scream their heads off when they get close to these animals, but some others just want to enjoy spending time with them. Whatever the case may be, it is one of the most exciting places to visit in Arusha.
Safari for Children
7. Kimemo Coffee Plantation
You can take your family on tour to a coffee plantation in Arusha. The tour starts at Kimemo’s Café, where you will be introduced to coffee, learn about how they are produced before embarking on a tour of the plantation opposite the café.
At the coffee plantation, you will learn how the coffee is planted and the processes of production – how the coffee bean is taken from the tree to the cup. Then, you will return to the Café to learn about how the roasting and packaging process of the coffee. Your family, especially the children will love this experience!
Kimemo Coffee Plantation
8. Shopping in Shanga
It’s great to get some souvenirs to remind you of the memorable time you had in Arusha before you leave. Shanga is a beautiful local community project, which offers an incredible way to support the disabled community in Arusha. The Shanga workshop is located at the beautiful Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge. Here, you’ll find a wide range of beautiful products made by the locals. The recycle glass bottles, aluminium and paper into a wide range of fantastic products and gift items.
Your children will be interested in the unique artistic activities here, and also enjoy shopping the handmade gifts. Other places where you can go shopping with your family in Arusha include the house of gem, AIM mall, central market, SidaiCenter Workshop & Retail Store, etc.
Shanga Arusha
Enjoy A Day Out with the Whole Family in Arusha
With these excellent experience, your kids and the whole family are sure to have a fun-filled day exploring the magical town of Arusha.
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