After spending a few days in Nairobi, I made my way to Moshi, Tanzania. There are a few ways to get to Moshi, but I decided to fly. The flight was about $220 one way and about an hour flight time. The only real reason to go to Moshi is because of Mt. Kilimanjaro which is the highest mountain in Africa. I decided to spend 6 days in Moshi with the following itinerary:

• Mt. Kilimanjaro day hike
• Waterfall Hike & Coffee Tour
• Chemka Hot Springs

I’ll start off by saying the Mt. Kilimanjaro hike is not for the weak a.k.a me. It’s described as a hike but it’s definitely a climb. The day hike is the shortest trek and leads to the Maundi Crater. It’s 3 hours up, 2 hours down, and close to 9,000 feet in elevation. On the way up, you stop for lunch at Mandara Hut and continue to climb to the crater. 

Long story short, I didn’t make it to the crater. As you go up in elevation, the oxygen level goes down. At a point during the hike, I was having a hard time breathing and I physically couldn’t hike any more. My legs felt like noodles and I couldn’t catch my breath to save my life. We stopped half way to Mandara Hut which took 3 hours to get to, had lunch thinking I would feel better after. That did not work. Because of that, I had to head back to the main gate. Luckily it was just me and the guide and not a group or we all would’ve had to head back. If you’re a tourist, you’re not allowed in the park by yourself and you must be with a guide at all times. I was highly disappointed, because I wasted $150 on this hike, but it is what it is. I would most likely never do it again unless I miraculously become a pro hiker. All reviews and even the locals said “it’s not bad” but they all lied. It’s definitely something you should prepare for. A lot of these people hike on the regular and are used to it. This was my very first hike and I f.a.i.l.e.d miserably. On the bright side, I could say I tried and I got to see some Colobus monkey. 

After a brutal hike, the hot springs was music to my ears. It’s a 45 minute drive through a village that doesn’t have paved roads. A lot of people think Africa is full of dirt roads, but that’s not 100% true. The main roads are paved, but the back roads aren’t. Driving through the unpaved roads is dubbed the “Free African Massage” by the locals. 

The Hot Springs aren’t hot which was surprising. It’s similar to a lake. The water is cool and extremely clear. There are two main “pools” with a river leading the each. There are Garra Rufa fish in the water which are the fish used for fish pedicures. I found it uncomfortable because I’m already paranoid about what could be in the water, but that’s all that’s in there. There’s a rope to swing on and jump in, tubes for rent if you can’t swim, fresh coconuts, and a little restaurant/ BBQ grill if you get hungry. 

Next was the Waterfall Hike and Coffee Tour. Before the hike, we stopped at a local farmers home for him to give me a tour of how he makes his coffee. He explained how they grow, harvest, sort, peel, roast, grind, and make coffee. I had to opportunity to sort, peel, roast and grind the coffee beans and taste it afterwards. I would say this was the most interesting tour I’ve been on. A lot of work goes into something we find so simple and it’s a lot of work. One thing he mentioned that I found true after the fact was that coffee isn’t supposed to have a bitter aftertaste and you don’t need milk. Because of the chemicals used and that the companies who make coffee don’t sort the good beans from the bad ones, results in the bitter aftertaste. The coffee was so smooth and the aftertaste was nonexistent. 10/10. 

Forgetting that I had planned another hike to a waterfall, I was extremely hesitant about going, but my tour guide drove to the closest possible point so that I didn’t have to hike as much. The hike to the waterfall was about 30 minutes and wasn’t bad. I can say that honestly since so many people sugarcoated the Mt. Kilimanjaro hike. You’re practically scaling a mountain going up and then down to get to the foot of the waterfall, but the trail isn’t as bad. You have the option to swim in the water, but it’s freezing being that the water is coming from Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

Moshi is a very quaint town. I would go back to Tanzania, but not Moshi. Unless you’re going to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, there isn’t a reason to go.