Moshi and Marangu travel guide

Background

The area around Moshi is particularly fertile due to the volcanic soils and there are lots of melt-water streams fed by the snow. This is where Arabica coffee, the premium quality of the two coffee varieties, is grown by the Chagga people, helping them to become one of the wealthiest of the Tanzanian groups. All around the town, and on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro, vast plantations of coffee blanket the area. Notice that the low coffee bushes are grown with taller banana palms for shade. The first coffee grown in Tanzania was planted at the nearby Kilema Roman Catholic Mission in 1898. Growth was steady and, by 1925, 100 tons were being produced each year. The Chagga people are particularly enterprising and formed the Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union (KNCH) to collect and market the crop themselves.

Moshi is the centre of Tanzania’s coffee industry; the Coffee Board is located here and coffee from all over Tanzania is sold at auction to international buyers. However, apart from the coffee produced in the immediate locality, the crop does not pass through Moshi, it is auctioned on the basis of certified type, quality and grade, and then shipped directly from the growing area to the buyer. Not all of the wealth generated by the sale of coffee makes its way back to the growing community. Local small farmers have been known to receive only half the Moshi export price. By the time the coffee is sold in London their purchase price amounts to only one-tenth of the London price. Interestingly, only 1-2% of the coffee grown in Tanzania is consumed in the country; simply because Tanzanians are traditionally chai (tea) drinkers. Moshi was the site of the signing of the Moshi Declaration after the war with Uganda in February 1979, which created the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) government to replace Idi Amin.

Air

Kilimanjaro International Airport

is halfway between Moshi and Arusha . A taxi between Moshi and the airport should cost around US$40-50 or arrange for one of the tour operators or your hotel to organize a shuttle. Kilimanjaro Aero Club, based at Moshi Airport, T027-275 0555, www.kiliman jaroaeroclub.com, can arrange charter flights, sightseeing flights and flying lessons.

Bus and dala-dala

Moshi is 580 km from Dar, 79 km from Arusha and 349 km from Nairobi. Local buses and dala-dala to nearby destinations like Marangu and Arusha cost little more than US$1 and go from the stand just to the south of the main bus stand, which are both on Market St. There are daily buses to and from Dar, US$18 ‘luxury’, US$12 ‘semi-luxury’ and US$9 ‘ordinary’ which take about 7 hrs and stop for 20 mins at one of the roadside restaurants en route. The road has improved considerably. For Tanga the bus takes 4-6 hrs and costs US$10. It is possible to get a direct bus to Mombasa, cost approximately US$13, 7-8 hrs. These go through the Taveta border, on to Voi in Kenya where they join the main road from Nairobi to Mombasa. Take lots of care at the bus stands as pick pocketing is rife and you need to protect your belongings. On arrival its best just to jump straight in a taxi as soon as you get off the bus. The hustlers, who try to get people on to their buses can be particularly annoying too.

Regular dala-dala to Marangu, 45 mins, US$3. A taxi will cost in the region of US$25, whilst those who organize a climb in Moshi will be transferred to the park gate by their tour operator.

To Kenya

There are private shuttle services to Nairobi via Arusha and the Namanga border. Impala Shuttle, Kibo Rd, T027-275 1786, departs daily for Nairobi at 0630 and 1130, US$40. Riverside Shuttle, THB House, T027-275 0093, www.riverside- shuttle.com, departs daily at 0630 and 1100, US$40. AA Shuttles, http://www.aashuttles.com, picks up and drops off at the hotels and leaves Moshi at 1100, US$40, and on request it will pick up/drop off at the Marangu Hotel at 0800, US$70.

Taxi

A taxi to Marangu will cost in the region of US$25, whilst those who organize a climb in Moshi will be transferred to the park gate by their tour operator.

Banks

Standard Chartered Bank on Rindi Lane and opposite the Kindoroko Hotel on Mawenzi Rd, and the National Bank of Commerce on the clock tower roundabout both have ATM facilities and will advance money on Visa and MasterCard.

Internet

There are several places around Moshi to check email. These include Dot Café, Rengua Rd; Duma and Fahari, both on Hill St, next door to the Coffee Shop; and Tanzania Coffee Lounge near the market (page).

Medical services

Moshi is home to what is said to be the best hospital in Tanzania, the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), which is 6 km out of town beyond Shantytown, T027-275 4377, www.kcm c.ac.tz. Mawenzi Moshi District Hospital, in town.

Police

Market St, T027-275 5055.

Post office

In the centre of town near the clock tower. Courier services, DHL, Kahawa House on the clock tower roundabout, T027-275 4030, http://www.dhl.com.

Telephone

International calls can be made from the post office.