Arusha.

Set beneath the forested slopes of Mount Meru, Arusha is the safari capital of Tanzania and the essential gateway to the northern circuit, linking travellers to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire, and Kilimanjaro. The city blends a relaxed highland climate with bustling markets, coffee plantation tours, and easy day trips into Arusha National Park, home to giraffe, colobus monkey, and flamingo-fringed crater lakes. As a base for acclimatising before a Kilimanjaro climb or launching into the bush, Arusha offers comfortable lodges, good infrastructure, and genuine Tanzanian city life.