Arusha Region · Tanzania
Where to stay in Arusha
Arusha is a city in Arusha Region, Tanzania, home to about 416,000 people.
- Best months
- January, February and June to October
- Nearest airport
- ARK6 km · Arusha Airport
- Currency
- TZSTanzanian shilling
- Time zone
- Africa/Dar es Salaam
- Language
- English, Swahili
About
About Arusha
Arusha is a city in Tanzania. The city is the capital of the Arusha Region.
Arusha, called "A Town" by the locals, is situated at the foot of Mount Meru, Africa's 5th highest mountain. The altitude gives the city a pleasant climate and lush green environment. Arusha is not a particularly attractive city in itself and is regarded by many visitors as little more than a necessary stopover before their safari starts in earnest. However, the natural charm of the Tanzanians and the buzz of a fast-growing city mean that Arusha has plenty to offer for those who are prepared to see beyond their air-conditioned safari trucks and satellite-TV hotel rooms.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Arusha
See
- Arusha Declaration Museum
- Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre
- Arusha National Natural History Museum
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Arusha to stay in
Arusha has plentiful accommodation to cater to all ends of the scale. There are many hotels in the centre of the city. At the highest end of the scale there are numerous luxurious lodges in and around the city, some of which offer stunning scenery and the best standard of accommodation. Be sure to avoid touts (people hired by hotels or hostels to get travellers to stay there). If you are travelling as a couple, a good idea is for one person to sit in a lobby or restaurant with the bags, while the other looks at the rooms.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Arusha
6 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| The Arusha Hotel | 1894 | 1.4 km |
| Fairmont Hotel | 0.6 km | |
| Korona House | 9.9 km | |
| Mambo Hideaway | 6.3 km | |
| View Mountain House | 5.4 km | |
| Woven House | 7.1 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Arusha
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Arusha are January, February and June to October. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 29 °C; April is the wettest, with about 231 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Arusha: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Arusha Airport (ARK), about 5.6 km from the city centre in a straight line; Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO, 44 km) and Amboseli Airport (ASV, 102 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
The main mode of public transport is "daladala", the ubiquitous minibuses which ply their trade on all the main routes in town. They are very cheap. The government regulates all pricing of transportation in Tanzania. Prices are listed on the sides of the daladala for each distance or stop covered. You are not obliged to pay above that price. As with most destinations in the world, they will try to fit as many people as possible to maximize their profits. Accidents involving daladalas are frequent and usually with serious consequences for the passengers.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
ARK · Arusha Airport
JRO · Kilimanjaro International Airport
ASV · Amboseli Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Arusha
Eat
Arusha has a wide variety of restaurants and informal eating places, with a predominance of Indian cuisine, which as a rule of thumb is the best food, thanks to the large sub-continental community in the city. Liquid Blue in Njiro and Big Bite on the Swahili Rd are among the most popular Indian restaurants. For 'Nyama Choma', or Tanzanian roast meat, Nick Bar in Njiro is also popular. Meals range from US$ 0.40 for street fare to US$15 for main courses at the high-end hotels.
Drink
Arusha has many interesting bars and restaurants. There are uncountable local bars which are generally welcoming to adventurous foreigners. The less adventurous visitors stick to Via Via, in the grounds of the old German fort, which is an interesting cultural centre and part of an NGO which trains locals in the hospitality industry. There are plenty of options for bars and restaurants for those who for some reason seem to wish to avoid locals altogether; these places are very easy to find. For nightclubs, the Velocity, Colobus Club, Maasai Camp, Triple A, 777 and Polygon Triangle are popular with locals and foreigners alike. They start late and finish very, very late (or early).
Stay safe
It is not advisable to walk at night, alone or in groups - cabs are plentiful but fares should always be agreed upon at the start of a journey (cabs have no meters, making it all too easy to exaggerate fares at the end of a journey). Avoid taking motorcycle taxis, especially at night in front of clubs. Thieves easily use this opportunity to rob people. In the city centre (on Sokoine road) and in certain areas (along old Moshi road) there are frequent attacks on tourists, especially when they are walking with their backpacks/bags.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Arusha: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Arusha?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Arusha are January, February and June to October. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 29 °C; April is the wettest, with about 231 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Arusha?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Arusha Airport (ARK), about 5.6 km from the city centre in a straight line; Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO, 44 km) and Amboseli Airport (ASV, 102 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Arusha?
Tanzanian shilling (TZS).
Nearby
Destinations near Arusha
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.