Moshi

Introduction

Moshi Wedding band

© All Rights Reserved Nat and Ev

Moshi is located in the mountain region of northeast Tanzania. Moshi is a smaller town than Arusha, and is actually closer to Kilimanjaro than Arusha. It is generally a safer and friendlier town with less beggars and harassment. You can see Mount Kilimanjaro on most days, and there is a good hotel called Kinderocko where you can watch the sunset and peep at Kilimanjaro all at the same time. As soon as the sun has set the bugs come out. There are a few chilled out cafes, and internet cafes and there is a pizza place where you can get take-aways too. There is also a local swimming pool where 'half-nakedness is not allowed'.

Neighbourhoods

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

The nearest airport to Moshi is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). The airport is located off the main road that connects Arusha and Moshi. Expect about a 45-minute ride between Moshi and JRO. Airlines serving JRO include:

• Precision Air - Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Mwanza, Zanzibar, Nairobi
• KLM-Royal Dutch - Amsterdam
• Ethiopian Airlines - Nairobi, Addis Ababa

A few other destinations include Bujumbura, Kigali and Frankfurt. There are seasonal flights to Zürich as well.

Air Tanzania offers its passengers a free shuttle service between JRO and Moshi (departs from/arrives in central Moshi at the Air Tanzania office). Precision Air offers a similar shuttle service for about Ts10,000. Shuttle services are timed to coincide with flight departures and arrivals. Taxi service between JRO and Moshi costs about $50 USD.

By Train

There is a railway station in Moshi, whether or not any scheduled passenger trains even operate is unknown.

By Car

By Bus

The main bus terminal is on Mawenzi Road (the main road in Moshi). Several bus operators offer intercity service to Arusha, Nairobi, Mombasa, and Dar es Salaam.

Known shuttle/bus operators include:

• Davanu (to Nairobi approximately 11:30am daily)
• Riverside (to Nairobi approximately 11:30am daily)
• Impala (to Nairobi approximately 06:00am and 12:00pm daily)
• Perfect Trans (to Mombasa)
• Dar Express (to Dar es Salaam)
• Scandanavian (to Dar es Salaam)

By Boat

Not applicable for Moshi.

Getting Around

Moshi is small enough to navigate by foot, but most roads do not have sidewalks so caution is advised.

By Car

Drivers in this region are noted for their recklessness so be careful. Driving is on the left side of the road. There are no traffic signals in Moshi even though the town is in need of some in certain locations. With many bicyclists in town, keep your concentration. Ample parking in town, expect to pay Tsh 500 to park.

By Public Transport

Taxis do not have set rates. Be sure to negotiate the price in advance. Most trips in town can be had at Tsh 3,000 or under. Tipping drivers is not expected.

Dala dalas are the public means of transport. Incredibly crowded an uncomfortable if you have long legs. Be careful of your belongings at all times since pickpockets love the dala-dalas, this included the conductors. Cost for in town trips is Tsh 250.

By Foot

Moshi is easy enough to negotiate by foot but don't expect too many sidewalks outside of the city centre. It takes a bit of concentration walking since the roads and sidewalks include numerous opportunities to turn an ankle.

By Bike

There are numerous local bicyclists in Moshi. Expect nothing in the way of bike paths. Concentrate on defensive driving and you will be ok. Don't expect motor vehicles to yield to your right of way. There are several tour companies who offer day bike treks in the area. If you go, make sure that you inspect the bicycle well, since I know of some treks that have been cut short due to poorly maintained equipment. Some companies will show you a nice bike but when you arrive for the actual trek, what is waiting for you might be quite different.

Eat

There are many good places to eat in Moshi. The local diet is healthy, there is an abundance of fresh locally grown vegetables and fruits year round. The local diet is heavy on meats (mostly goat and chicken) served usually with ugali (similar to polenta) or rice. There are many restaurants that cater to tourists with pizza, American fare and Indian food. As for beverages, there are Tanzanian beers widely available. Coca Cola and other sodas are very popular and diet coke is becoming more commonly found. bottled mineral water is common. Moshi is the headquarters of the Tanzanian Coffee Board. Local residents seem to prefer instant coffee but there have been a pleasent increase in the past two years in the number of coffee shops serving espresso/ cappuccino. Tipping in restaurants is not done by locals but restaurants catering to tourists have become accustomed to small tips.

Among the popular restaurants in town are:

• Indotaliano - Indian, Italian, Pizza (beer, wine)
• Italian Passion - Italian, Pizza (beer, wine)
• Deli Chez - Indian, Chinese, American, Pizza, espresso
• Union Cafe - burgers, pizza, sandwiches, espresso
• Salzberger - steaks, Austrian (beer, wine)
• Kilimanjaro Coffee Lounge - sandwiches, espresso
• The Coffee Shop - sandwiches, espressos
• Panda - Chinese (beer, wine)
• Aroma Coffee House - sandwiches, espressos
• Milans - Indian, all vegetarian

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet services are available in Moshi at Easycom - in the basement of the Kahawa House building (ATM available at street level), which is at the main roundabout in Moshi (intersection of Boma Road and Mawenzi Road - look for the clocktower). There are numerous other options in town as well. WiFi is almost unheard of here. There are two coffee shops in town that are just starting to offer a signal. 3G USB modems are becoming popular through several cell phone providers, even though speeds fall far short of what one would expect from a 3G modem.

Phone

Cell phones are king here. Few landlines are available. Phones from the United Kingdom and Europe will work here. Phones from the United States will not. A simple cell phone may be purchased for around US$30 however. Cell phone service is by prepaid vouchers available nearly everywhere. Cell phone signal coverage is very good expect to get coverage anywhere in the region.

Post

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

Tanzania Posts Corporation is the national postal services of Tanzania. There are post officies in most major cities and towns throughout the country, which are generally open Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm and Saturday from 9:00am to noon. The post office is located at the main roundabout in Moshi (intersection of Boma Road and Mawenzi Road - look for the clocktower).
Services are generally quite reliable though not very fast. Prices for international airmal services start at around 500-600 TSHS to other countries in East Africa and 700-900 TSHS to Europe and North America for postcards and letters up to 20 grams. Small packages start at around 2,000-3,000 TSHS, but it's generally better to do business with international parcel services like TNT, UPS, DHL or FedEx.

Money

Confirm the payment methods for any treks before you reach Moshi, as getting access to the sums required for Kilimanjaro treks can take excessive time once in town. In Tanzania, there is a daily ATM withdrawal limit of Tsh 400,000. Traveler's cheques can be difficult to change - don't bother asking at the local banks, the few foreign exchanges that will exchange them won't provide good rates. Regular currency exchange is limited to US Dollars or British Pounds (don't try to sneak any Scottish Pounds by them!). Only newer issue US notes will be accepted. You will get a higher exchange rate for US$100 notes compared to smaller notes. There are several Exchange Bureaus in town. Many places will also accept USD and in fact may be requested for safaris instead of Tanzanian Shillings (Tsh). Immigration and airports will accept only USD instead of Tsh. As o fNov 2011, the exchange is approximately US$1 buys Tsh 1,780. By comparison, if you do find a place to exchange travelers checques, expect US$1 to buy Tsh 1,350.

Credit cards are not commonly useful except in a few hotels and some gift shops. Most tour/safari companies do not accept them. Those that do accept them are generally foreign owned and are therefore more expensive priced.