Now in East Africa (in the world in
general?) there are three main ways of transport. The most convenient
one is to drive with your own car – you get the scenery,
possibility to stop wherever you want and more importantly, whenever
you want (toilet brakes are a bit scarse). Second most convenient one
is probably flying. Not very cheap, sometimes not on time, but
generally quicker than going overland. Then thirdly there's the way
most of us use – bus. (There are also some train connections and of
course ferries at the coast and big lakes.) Of course the good thing
about buses is that they are ecological and you get to travel with
locals.
You can also walk like the Maasai or
bike or hitch-hike (not recommendable!) or take daladalas (local
buses) from one town to the next...
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| Dar es Salaam skyline |
Well, we took a bus to go around the
region. The route was Dar es Salaam – Moshi – Arusha – Nairobi
– Mombasa – Tanga – Dar es Salaam, and then back to Zanzibar.
The aim of our traveling was to meet our cooperation companies and to
see some hotels and tourist attractions. But there's a lot in this
experience that would be valuable for anyone traveling Tanzania &
Kenya by bus!
Dar es Salaam was our starting point.
Now, Dar is a very chaotic city with massive traffic jams and plenty
of people who are ready to ”help” you in the hopes of some extra
money. As for us, we are very familiar with Dar, but less familiar
with the bus companies that operate the route Dar – Moshi.
The main bus station, Ubungo, is far
from the city center and in the traffic jams it might take an hour to
reach the place. Also, the taxi will cost almost as much as your bus
ticket. So even though the main bus station is the easiest place to
find all the bus companies, compare prices and get tickets (all while
at least 5 people explain to you how you should follow them and that
and this bus doesn't exist), going to Ubungo is not the best choice.
Then again, it is important to get your ticket beforehand, because
without it you will end up in the most horrible bus that no-one
wanted to book.
There is a place in Kisutu in the city
center where there are several bus company offices. This is the place
to go, at least if you're heading up north. You will find a square in
the end of Libya Street, accross from the petrol station. Go there
and ask around to make an educated choice. Dar Express wasn't good
but wasn't bad either – maybe Kilimanjaro Express would have been a
better choice.
It takes around 10 hours to reach
Moshi, there were 2 resting stops on the way. Most buses continue to
Arusha, which is another 1,5 extra hours.
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| Khamis in Moshi with our freshly bought ngoma (drum) |
Moshi is a nice, well-organized city
and therefore preferrable option over Arusha if you ask me. It's also
the best place to be if you're thinking to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
The mighty mountain is very near, but almost constantly covered by
clouds. Hint: If you don't have time to climb Kili, you can still get
near to it and enjoy some beautiful waterfalls and nature! And if
you're too busy to even do that, then at least drink the beer (and if
you don't drink alcohol, drink the Kili water). People in Moshi are
very proud of their mountain.
There are several nice and
budget-friendly hotel options in town. Also there are plenty of
restaurants, and if you don't mind the taxi ride to the suburbs,
you'll find even more nice restaurants and some popular bars, such as
Glacier.
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| Kilimanjaro in the early morning, just before the clouds get to it |
If you are enchanted by the mountain or
just by the fact that Moshi is a nice city and the weather in there
is somehow human-friendly, there are many volunteering options there.
We would recommend Tanzania Volunteers.
We would have loved to stay longer in
Moshi. Thanks to our wonderful host! I will come back! And climb
Kili!
If you want to climb Kili, please contact Colors of Zanzibar - despite the name, we know these things. And we know the best guides now.
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