Northern Tanzania's Delights
- Amy Lewins
- Feb 20, 2018
- 2 min read
We have spent February 2018 touring Northern Tanzania. This blog compares our three favourite places to visit ! Happy reading! Arusha Known as the safari capital of Tanzania, Arusha was our first stop in this laid-back country. First impressions
Extremely lush and green. Certainly feels more like a town than a city. Highlight of the visit
Going for a walk and stumbling (well, accidentally trespassing!) upon the stunning Mt Meru waterfall (it's quite difficult to find - location here). So peaceful and picturesque! FYI
We took a boda boda (motorbike taxi) to the base of Mt Meru and hiked up the mountain to the waterfall entrance. Mt Meru waterfall 'entrance fee' is 20,000 TSH per person.
Mt Meru Waterfall
Moshi At the base of the immense Kilimanjaro, Moshi is a small town with lots of character.
View of Mount Kilimanjaro from Secret Garden Hotel
First impressions
Our first day in Moshi was mostly spent craning our necks upwards trying to catch a glimpse of illusive Mount Kilimanjaro, which is almost always covered by cloud. We soon discovered that the impressive wonder is best viewed early in the morning and late in the evening. The people in the town are welcoming and friendly.
Highlight of the visit
Taking a coffee tour in the foothills of Kilimanjaro. Learning about the whole process and making our own cup of coffee was really interesting! Also the hot springs (location here) are definitely worth a visit (just ask a taxi driver to take you to Kikuletwa Hotsprings or Kikuletwa Chemka in Swahili, it should cost 80,000 TSH). FYI
It's easy and affordable to book a coffee tour through Coffee Union Cafe (location here). Just go inside to speak to the manager to book. We paid 113,000 TSH for both of us (whereas for the solo traveller it costs 80,000 TSH). Union cafe supports coffee farmers in the local Chagga community.
Ed enjoying the hot springs
Coffee tour
Lushoto Set high in the Usambara Mountains, Lushoto is a gorgeous small town famous for its trekking opportunities. First impressions
With its cool and fresh climate and exotic trees and plants, Lushoto instantly became our favourite place in Northern Tanzania. The influence of German colonialism is easy to see, with European churches and government buildings (Boma) dotted throughout the town. Highlights of the visit
The children! All of them were sooo friendly and just wanted to say hello, give us high fives and hugs! The trekking is also fantastic!
School children hugging Amy, one running over to see Ed.
FYI
Longer day treks/multiple day treks are easy to book through your hotel or through 'Friends of Usambara'. We paid 180,000 TSH (for both of us) for our full day trek to Mkuze waterfall and Magamba rainforest. As an alternative, Irente viewpoint (location here) is an easy half day trek which you can do yourself for free!
Irene Viewpoint
We're currently in Dar Es Salaam and off to Zanzibar tomorrow! Coming up next: Ed's guide to east African beer.
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