This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
Moshi, Tanzania, is Kilimanjaro central -- this is where nearly everyone who wants to climb the mountain comes. Moshi is five hundred fifty kilometers northwest of Dar Es Salaam, and only three hundred kilometers west of Kenya's Mombasa, making it one of the first stops for travelers in Tanzania. Arusha, the gateway to Ngorogoro Crater, is just eighty kilometers west of Moshi.
Moshi is full of tour and travel agents looking for your custom, and Mt. Kilimanjaro climbs are the big draw. Many travelers come to this part of the world solely to climb the highest mountain in Africa. It's not cheap! The climb to the summit and back takes around seven days and involves some technical sections on some of the seven official routes. There could also be snow up there.
Tsavo West National Park is just a stone's throw from the city, for travelers looking for a safari experience. Again, there are plenty of agencies out there wanting to help. Visiting Ngorogoro Crater and National Park can also be arranged here, although most travelers push on to Arusha for this.
Moshi has a plethora of accommodation choices. This is a backpacker's hot spot, so there are plenty of Moshi, Tanzania hostels here, too. Moshi, Tanzania hostels are liberally spread around the city, so get directions before you arrive and book ahead, especially in peak climbing season, which is basically all year outside of the March/April and November rainy season. All the hostels in Moshi, Tanzania, can help with trip arrangements and this is where you can hook up with other like-minded travelers to make a bigger group and save a bit of cash on your trips.
While you're waiting for your trip to come together, or while you're recovering from it, there are one or two things to keep you occupied in and around town. There are some community tourism programs that will take you to local villages and coffee plantations, and can put you in touch with some of the many agencies that organize volunteering in the area, if you really want to be involved in the local communities.
Written by local expertz for Moshi
LondonroadMa
