Tanzania

I visited Tanzania in spring of 2021. This was quite a different time to visit a country. This was my first time traveling without my family. The entry, while intimidating, was actually quite simple. I got my visa on arrival for $50 USD and was then able to enter the country. I had arranged a pickup from the airport with my airbnb host. They drove me to the airbnb and showed me some cool sites along the way. We also picked up a good breakfast item, cassava, and proceeded to the airbnb. I waited for my friend, Leon, who was arriving later that day. After navigating through some serious traffic

in Dar es Salaam, we got to the airbnb and went out to dinner at a local spot. The next day, we rented a car with cash only, a rather unique arrangement for car rentals. From there, we explored Dar es Salaam further before road tripping north with a final destination of Arusha. We drove north on the main highway until we turned east towards Pangani. We ended up on some poorly maintained roads but the beauty of the journey was worth it. We passed by one of a kind villages every few miles or so and witnessed a simple, but pleasant lifestyle of rural Tanzania. Unfortunately, we did not

have a place to stay that night and had to keep driving until we found a hotel in the middle of nowhere on the coast. It was an incredible hole in the wall and we were able to get food, water, and a good chat with another adventurous traveler from Europe. We woke up on the Indian Ocean coast, watched the sunrise, and took a stroll down the coast—where we encountered a very remote fishing village as they set out on their boats for the day. Beware of the dogs, they are friendly but curious and tried to nibble us, as we might have been the first white people they

had seen. Anyways, we packed up and headed north yet again towards Pangani, at a terribly slow pace due to the state of the roads. Eventually we made it to the ferry to cross the river, loaded our car on, and crossed the river. After reaching Pangani, we continued on to Tanga where we then cut back west to move on our way to Moshi. One thing Leon taught me on this road trip was to keep the windows up because baboons will jump into cars to steal food! Luckily, we made it without any baboon attacks! As we neared Moshi, I saw the ice capped peak of Mt Kilimanjaro

pierce the clouds and reveal itself to us, a moment of pure awe. We spent the night in Moshi with a balcony view of Mt Kili. In the morning, we packed up and headed to Arusha, our final destination. In Arusha, we spent time with Leon’s former host family, the nicest people I have had the pleasure to meet. We indulged in markets and local life and set up our tour to the top of Mt. Meru, the highlight of the trip and in my opinion, a must-do. The climb includes a walking safari with some of the most famed animals of the African plains and an incredible summit in

which you see 360 degrees, including Mt Kenya and Kilimanjaro. After our hike, we reached base camp and had a well earned beer. The rest of our time in Arusha, we immersed ourself into the illustrious city life and even went a couple hours out to an incredible not so hot hot spring for a swim. One recommendation I would make to anyone going to Arusha is to visit the Masai markets, where I got my one of a kind chess board which was hand carved. Anyway, we completed our trip with a night out and began our drive back to Dar es Salaam, ending one of the most incredible,

formative two weeks of my life. Feel free to ask any questions below and I will do my best to respond!