The Best Hotels for Your Kilimanjaro Climb
Back in the day, when as yet not a great deal of thought had been given to what works best for the unacclimatised visitor, the way a Kilimanjaro climb was run was largely a product of the convenience of the local operator.
Local operators tended to be based in Moshi or Marangu Mtoni as rents are cheap there, and these towns are close to the mountain. However, there are two main drawbacks with Moshi:
- a) Moshi sits at 800 metres elevation - some 600 metres lower than Arusha, and
- b) the infrastructure - accommodation, restaurants, shops - is relatively basic.
The hotels we use
Every series except Superlite includes a hotel night in Arusha before and after your climb. These are the hotels our coordinators book for climbers. Swipe along each row, and tap a photo to see it larger.
Our standard hotels
Your climb includes the night before it and the night it ends at one of the first four, by series: bed and breakfast, sharing a room.
Lite · Advantage · Advantage Plus · Excel
The Outpost Lodge
Arusha
Our usual hotel, within walking distance of the Clock Tower in the centre of Arusha.
When the Outpost is full
Mvuli Hotel
Arusha
If the Outpost has no room on your dates, we book Mvuli, or a hotel like it at a similar price.
VIP Eco
Four Points by Sheraton
Arusha
The hotel included with our VIP Eco series.
Hemingway
Gran Meliá Arusha
Arusha
A Red Level Junior Suite, before and after a Hemingway climb.
Superlite
Mambo Arusha Hostel
Arusha
Formerly Arusha Backpackers. Superlite includes no hotel nights, so we suggest you book your own on Booking.com: from about USD 15 a night in a dormitory, or USD 24 for a room of your own.
Near the mountain and the airport
For early or late flights, or a climb that starts on the other side of the mountain.
Lemosho and Shira
Simba Farm Lodge
West Kilimanjaro, 20 minutes from the gate
A working farm at 1,700 m: rest there after an early landing and start your climb the same afternoon. More
Day rooms
KIA Lodge
Beside Kilimanjaro airport
A room to rest in for a few hours, before a late flight home.
Babylon Lodge
Marangu
Moshi Epic Accommodation
Moshi
Other hotels we book
On request, as an upgrade or when our usual hotels are full. Ask us for a price for your dates.
Upgrade
Zawadi House
Arusha
Upgrade
African Tulip
Arusha
Arusha Planet Lodge
Arusha
Sunshine Marine Lodge
Upgrade
Malkia Trees
Arusha
Boulevard Inn
Arusha
Palace Hotel
Arusha
Arusha Giraffe Lodge
Arusha
Olerai Lodge
Senna
Mardai Homestay
Why We Don't Recommend Using Hotels in Moshi
Moshi's low altitude has three significant negative consequences for Kilimanjaro climbers:
- For every 300 metres of lost elevation, the temperature increases by around 2 degrees Centigrade. This means that Moshi tends to be some 4 degrees hotter than Arusha - uncomfortably hot for most visitors from milder climates.
- Malaria-bearing chloroquine-immune plasmodium falciparum thrive at lower elevations. Conversely, local clinicians report that there have been no recorded cases of malaria in Arusha since around 2019.
- On day one of most Kilimanjaro climbs, trekkers attain around 3,000 metres altitude. If, prior to trekking to that height you've been sleeping at 1,400 metres (in Arusha), your body has a much better chance of adapting safely and comfortably than if you've been sleeping at 800 metres altitude in Moshi.
Because of these three very important considerations, we only recommend climbers book hotels in Arusha, not Moshi.
The best rates for hotels are generally obtained when booking through Booking.com - particularly if you are a regular user of the service and therefore qualify for a "Genius" discount.
Standard Grade Accommodation in Arusha
The following are the "standard grade" hotels used by the majority of our clients.
The Outpost Lodge is the most popular option with our climbers, because of the convenience of its location within walking distance of Arusha's central "Clock Tower" area. When not available on the required dates, climbers generally book one of the following hotels:
- Mvuli Lodge
- Boulevard Inn, Mount Meru
- Mambo Arusha Hostel (formerly Arusha Backpackers): Superlite includes no hotel nights, so we suggest our Superlite climbers book their own on Booking.com, often with a Genius discount. From about USD 15 a night in a dormitory, or USD 24 for a room of your own.
Starting Lemosho or Shira: Simba Farm Lodge
Simba Farm Lodge is a working farm lodge on the western slopes of Kilimanjaro, at 1,700 metres, about 20 minutes from the gate where Lemosho and Shira climbs begin. It looks out over the Maasai Steppe from a 5,000-acre farm, with farm-to-table meals.
If your flight lands early in the morning and you are climbing Lemosho or Shira, we now recommend Simba Farm instead of Arusha. We hold your room from the night before, so it is ready when you land. You rest until noon, have lunch, and we drive you 20 minutes to the gate to start your climb that afternoon. That spares you the two-hour drive to Arusha and back, and your first night on the mountain comes a day sooner. Arriving the evening before, you can stay there too, with dinner and breakfast.
Simba Farm is an excellent, friendly lodge, but it makes no pretence of competing on luxury with the plush suites in Arusha. On a compressed schedule, though, it is on balance the best way to make the most of the time you have.
Simba Farm sits 300 metres higher than Arusha, which is a small head start on acclimatisation, and well away from the heat of Moshi.
It depends on Simba Farm having a room free on your dates, so book early. On the Advantage, Lite and Excel series, which include a night at the Outpost Lodge, Simba Farm costs a little more: see the surcharge. On the Hemingway series it costs less than the Gran Meliá suite, so we take the difference off: see the VIP page.
Upgrading Your Accommodation in Arusha
To view Arusha hotels on Booking.com, please use this link.
If there's more material about Arusha hotels on Booking.com than is convenient for you to work through, the following are our recommendations: