Arusha: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Arusha is a city of 617,631 people in Tanzania, 1,415 m (4,642 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), 44 km (27 mi) from the centre. It has 1 railway station on record, including Arusha Central Train Station. Our booking partner lists 652 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Arusha runs from about 11 h 58 min a day in late June to 12 h 21 min in late December (computed for -3.37° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Arusha is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), 44 km (27 mi) from the centre, whose 11,811-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Arusha Airport (ARK, 6 km).
Flights to Arusha: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Arusha Central Train Station. Trains to Arusha
Buses to Arusha · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 652 places to stay in Arusha. Of the 345 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (209), and 14 are five-star. Across 58 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.5 out of 10. Guests have left 16,068 reviews in total.
Hotels in Arusha: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Olduvai Gorge Museum | 100,000 | 2020 |
The busiest is Olduvai Gorge Museum at 100,000 visitors in 2020. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
UNESCO World Heritage in the city: Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Arusha
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Nairobi, 232 km (Kenya) — flights
- Mombasa, 339 km (Kenya) — flights
- Dodoma, 329 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Nakuru, 347 km (Kenya)
- Ruiru, 249 km (Kenya) — flights
- Morogoro, 399 km — trains · buses · car rental
- Tanga, 328 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Kikuyu, 236 km (Kenya) — flights
- Bariadi, 306 km — buses · car rental
- Thika, 263 km (Kenya) — flights
Twin towns and sister cities: Mürzzuschlag, Kansas City, Durham.
Common questions
Which airport serves Arusha?
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), 44 km (27 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Arusha?
About 617,631 people live in Arusha, across 1,590 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Arusha in?
Africa/Dar_es_Salaam, currently UTC+3.
What currency is used in Arusha?
The Shilling (TZS). Traffic drives on the left.
How many hotels are there in Arusha?
Our booking partner lists 652 places to stay in Arusha, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Arusha?
Nairobi (232 km), Mombasa (339 km), Dodoma (329 km), Nakuru (347 km), Ruiru (249 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.