Travel

Pictures, Travel

Ok, so this trip wasn’t as cheap as when we went to Tanzania a few months ago, but, to be fair, we really outdid ourselves this time. We did the usual street food taste tests and shady boda boda rides, but we also added a few new things…

Rafting the Nile

The highlight of this trip was whitewater rafting down the Nile in Jinja. I’m not entirely sure how we came up with this hair-brain scheme, but Raymond and I decided that it would be the perfect adventure for the four-day weekend we were given for Kenya’s Jamhuri (Independence) day on December 12 – 15.

After looking around at a few Nile rafting websites we settled on River Explorers due to their one free night of hostel accommodation. We went for a full day of rafting, which included several class 3, 4, and 5 rapids. In one word, it was epic!

Down the grade-five rapid
Down the grade-five rapid

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Food, Pictures, Travel

It’s winter and it’s still beautiful here in San Diego, California. I wouldn’t get in the water, but sitting on the bluff eating a California burrito (basically carne asada with french fries) is definitely something I can do. ;)

Also, it was a beautiful day in Laguna Beach today. This is from my grandma’s house on the cliff in Laguna — I spent a lot of summers on this beach!

Nature, Travel

A few weeks ago we had a three-day weekend due to Mashujaa Day (Heroes’ Day), so my buddy and I decided to go to Tanzania for a bit of fun, food and sightseeing. I’ve been to Tanzania a handful of times before, and I like it more and more every time I go back.

Culturally, Tanzania is very similar to Kenya — food, language, dress, transportation, etc will all be very familiar for anyone who has spent time in Kenya (and East Africa in general). For the backpacker, Tanzania is more interesting than Kenya because it’s cheaper, but part of that might just be because I’m used to Nairobi prices!

Itinerary

Tanzania’s cheap and easy to get around. I jotted down some notes about what my buddy and I spent over the three-day weekend as we wandered around Arusha and Moshi. Part of that was because I bet him that we could do it for less than 5,000 Kenyan shillings (~$58), but it’s also nice for future travelers to be able to see how we did it, so they can plan their routes and wallets ;).

Prices in Tanzanian Shillings unless noted KES:

  • NBO to Namanga: 500 KES
  • Namanga to Arusha: 7000
  • Arusha hostel: 7500
  • Chipsi mayai: 2000
  • Khan’s chicken: 8500
  • Chai and vitumbura (fried rice thing): 1000
  • Arusha to Moshi: 2500
  • Hostel 12500
  • Chipsi mayai and Coke: 2500
  • Moshi to Marangu: 2000 (overpaid) Marangu to park gate in shared taxi 1000
  • Back down in taxi: 1000
  • Chai: 400
  • Marangu to Moshi: 1500
  • Chipsi mayai and Swahili pizza and Pineapple soda 3000
  • Coffee Shop house coffee 2000
  • Moshi to Arusha: 3000
  • Chipsi mayai and Mirinda mweusi: 2500
  • Arusha to Namanga: 7000
  • Namanga to NBO: 500 KES

As you can see Tanzania’s very cheap, and you don’t have to skimp too much. For a seasoned backpacker, wandering around Tanzania on the cheap is very easy! The most costly items are for transportation.

Getting to Kilimanjaro

It’s super easy to get to Mount Kilimanjaro, but it’s not entirely obvious. While the town of Moshi is sitting right at the base of the mountain, the national park entrance is on the other side, just up the hill from a town called Marangu. A matatu from the Moshi bus stage takes ~1.5 hours to get to Marangu, and will cost you 1,500 shillings.

Once you’re in Marangu, you can get a shared taxi to the park gates for 1,000 shillings, or around 10,000 if you don’t want to share/wait. After that you’re free to wander around the village, talk to people, and even enter the park gates to look at signs and stuff.

Beautiful View From Marangu

From Marangu village, just below the park gates. Nice and green!

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