Travelers keen to experience Tanzania’s Serengeti will be interested to learn about a new five-star hotel in Arusha, Tanzania’s safari capital and gateway to the North. Back in December 2010, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of Tanzania, officially reopened the Mount Meru Hotel as a five-star property. The hotel is located at the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley and has stunning views of its namesake: Mount Meru, the second highest peak in Tanzania after Kilimanjaro.
Nestled on 37 acres of gardens, the 178-room hotel offers four restaurants, a golf course, outdoor swimming pool, spa, and ample conference facilities including a 24-seat boardroom, business center, and 300-seat conference center. (The next major event to be held at the Mount Meru Hotel will be the Arusha Gemstone Exhibition, bringing together gemstone dealers from around the world in May 2011.)
The largest country in East Africa, Tanzania prioritizes wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism, with 28% of the land protected by the government. Arusha has become a hub for travelers visiting Africa’s sought after attractions such as Ngorongoro Crater (often called the 8th Wonder of the World), Mount Kilimanjaro (the tallest mountain in Africa), and the famous Serengeti, home to the "great wildebeest migration" that was named the New 7th Wonder of the World by USA Today and ABC TV's Good Morning America.