Moshi Town and Mount Kilimanjaro
Travellers that aim to visit and climb Mount Kilimanjaro tend to use Moshi Town as their base location before climbing. The town provides many services that are needed for Mountain climbing. With service and offices like banks, restaurants, good infrastructure and hotels for overnight stays before and after climbing Mount Kilimanjaro make Moshi be the first option for Mount Kilimanjaro base camp
Moshi is the nearest town to Mount Kilimanjaro and the cleanest town all over Tanzania. When in Moshi you can view Mount Kilimanjaro on the backdrop of the town. The snowcapped mountain can be seen clearly especially in a blue sky.
The entire Moshi town is surrounded by lush green vegetation and a naturally tranquil atmosphere full of fresh air. Moshi rural that comprises of nearby places like Machame, Marangu, Materuni villages are evergreen.
Places and Attractions to Visit in Moshi
There are many attractions and places to visit in Moshi apart from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. There is more to Moshi than just the mountain. The town offers many activities and sceneries to take part in. You can choose to take a few day trips after climbing Kilimanjaro or before climbing. Some of these activities include a visit to the ever-beautiful and tranquil lake Chala, or swimming activities at Chemka hot spring near Moshi. Chemka hot spring is also known as Kikuletwa hot spring. Taking a village trip to Materuni waterfalls and Materuni village for a local coffee-making tour is a great idea when you are around Moshi Town. Moshi town also can give you a good town tour as you learn a lot about the town or take a tour to Olpopongi Village located at West Kilimanjaro.
Below are the activities and attractions to visit while in Moshi.
The Chemka Hot Springs, also known as Kikuletwa Hot springs is a hidden gem in the Kilimanjaro region. Located only 38.6 km from Moshi town and 69 km from Arusha. These hot springs are a natural attraction of crystal clear, turquoise water that gives visitors a day filled with adventure and relaxation. These hot springs are the perfect day trip adventure after a long Kilimanjaro climb. The hot spring feature a deep pond that measures about 10 m deep with crystal clear waters that let you see the bottom of the pond. There is a campsite nearby going by the name Chemka Campsite just near the shores of the pond surrounded by a natural green environment of trees and plants to visit Chemka hot spring from Moshi town would take you about one hour while from Arusha it would take you an hour and a half of driving. It is recommended that you take at least 5 hours at Chemka hot springs if you are not camping so that you can fully enjoy the activities here.
The Materuni Waterfalls & Coffee farm is located on the foot slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in the famous Materuni Village. Materuni village is inhabited by the native people of Kilimanjaro, the Chagga tribe. Within the Materuni Village are the beautiful waterfalls with natural pools that are amazing for swimming and floating around for a while.
The Materuni village is synonymous famous for its aromatic, rich coffee that will blow you away with its fragrance. When you take a coffee tour to Marangu Village, you will experience first-hand, traditional coffee preparation, and processing. This tour also gives you the chance to prepare your own cup of coffee in the Chagga, local way.
A walk through the Marangu village is fun-filled with gorgeous, green scenery as your backdrop of waterfalls is situated in the Marangu village on the foot slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. The glaciers provide the water to these waterfalls as it streams down the lush green rainforest region of Kilimanjaro.
The Marangu Waterfalls are located just a 40-minutes drive away from Moshi town.
The best way to experience Moshi is by walking on foot. It is a small town that can be done in a day. Moshi is filled with fresh air and lush green vegetation. The coffee plantations that are scattered around Moshi are a must-visit. While in Moshi, you can clearly see Mount Kilimanjaro towering over the clouds. You can take a day trip to Shira plateau and back or just walk down the Moshi streets visiting curio shops and admiring the African paintings in the shops.
The Olpopongi Maasai Village is located on West Kilimanjaro, 81 km away from Moshi town and it would take you around 2 hours or so drive to get there. At the Masai village of Olpopongi, you will experience life, the Maasai way. The tour gives you the chance to taste the local food of the Maasai, how they live as a community, and is perfect for cultural immersion and interaction. Experience the song and dance of the Maasai people that inhabit most of the West Kilimanjaro land.
Lake Chala, situated in between Kenya and Tanzania, lies 55km away from Moshi on the northeastern side of the town. Lake Chala is fascinating in so many ways. It is a small crater known as a caldera that was as a result of the volcanic activity during the formation of Mount Kilimanjaro. Measuring 3km long and 2.4km in width, the water-filled caldera has the international borderline of Kenya and Tanzania bisecting it. Lake Chala is between 70m to 90m deep and has a surface area of about 4.2 square kilometers. The lake is perfect for picnics, sight-seeing adventures of its turquoise, deep blue to green waters, fishing, and walking down the steep crater walls surrounding the area to the water. Taking walks around lake Chala offer stunning views of the lake itself, the natural green surroundings, and a backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro from a distance. Swimming is optional but we recommend that you do swimming activities to the shore of the lake.
Moshi has a wide variety of hotels from budget to mid-range and luxury hotels. The average accommodation options in Moshi are 3-star hotels. These many options at disposal make Moshi the preferred choice of accommodation before and after climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
You can visit Moshi Town any time of the year but the best months to visit Moshi during the dry and warm months are January and February, and also from June to October when the sky is clear. These are also the best months to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Moshi is the preferred town for spending your day before climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Tranquil Kilimanjaro will be happy tom organize your Mountain climbing expedition to the highest peak in Africa.
