Arusha is a small but busy Tanzanian city on the southern side of Mt Meru, close to the border of Kenya. Arusha is the centre for wildlife tourism in Northern Tanzania as it is the gateway to many of Tanzania’s premium safari parks and destinations, including the Serengeti, Tarangire, Manyara, Ngorongoro and Mt Kilimanjaro. At 1400 meters, Arusha has a cool comfortable climate, with fertile forest soils that have historically supported expansive coffee plantations, many of which are still operational today.
“Kili’ as it is affectionately called, peaks at a little over 5900m (19300 ft) above sea level and is one of the world’s ‘7 summits’.
With close to 760 000 inhabitants, Arusha region is one of the most developed in Tanzania, not only due to its tourism infrastructure, its business community, but also because the city serves as home to the diplomatically important East African Community. Arusha city has a lively and friendly atmosphere and a culturally diverse population of Tanzanians, East Africans and expats. It is known for its vibrant nightlife and adventurous spirit.
Arusha town is also the commercial centre for mining of Tanzanite, a precious stone only found in Tanzania, and said to be a thousand times rarer than diamonds.