Moshi Town

Moshi town is a medium-sized town nestled in the foothills of Kilimanjaro. It is a 45 minute drive from Kilimanjaro airport, and a little over an hour drive from Arusha, the biggest and most economically important town in the northern section of Tanzania. Moshi has a lot of quiet charm to it and although it is by no means over-run by tourists, there are enough foreigners here that you will not feel isolated. It is the closest town to Mt. Kilimanjaro so many tourist stay here before and after their climb.

Moshi is considered very safe. You are encouraged to be careful walking around with valuables however the local’s are very friendly and they associate foreigners with volunteers. They know you are here to help and respect you for that. In fact, you are a minor celebrity as you walk through town! Especially with the children calling out “Mzungu” (White person) and hoping that you will wave back to them.

A favourite past time in Moshi includes having a cold beer on one of the rooftop bars (with views of Kilimanjaro), visiting one of the local hotels to relax by their swimming pool, enjoying some Moshi nightlife at local bars or getting out of town for a day trip.

Although a full Kilimanjaro climb takes 5-7 days there are many day trip options for hiking around the base of the mountain.

Moshi is close to Arusha National Park, Kilimanjaro National Park, the Pare mountains and the Northern Safari Circuit (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire etc). You are also a day’s journey or short flight to Zanzibar Island, coastal area of Pangani or visiting the Gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda.