Amani Hostel

Visited: Apr. 2023 Reviewed: May. 18, 2023 Submitted in:

With Eduu organising my friend and I had some of our most incredible Tanzania experiences on Safari, Kilimanjaro and Moshi for very good prices (especially Kilimanjaro).
The Safari he organised for us was a 4 day trip covering Tarangire, Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater with the first night in a lodged accommodation and the next 2 in tents camping. The lodge was actually a big surprise and nicer than I expected. The camping was really fun but I would bring a warm set of clothes especially for Ngorongoro where the camp is higher. I definitely wouldn’t miss the sunrise over Serengeti. Drivers largely stick to the routes as required by the parks but we still got incredibly close to elephants and giraffes in Tarangire (my personal fave with its many paths that leaves animals an arms lengths away and stunning scenery), loads of herd animals in Serengheti and lions in Ngorongoro. They provided 3 meals a day which were a simple breakfast similar to the hostel one, a pack lunch and a hot dinner. The cars seated 6-passengers from mixed groups which was great for meeting new people and for splitting entry fees to the national parks! The organisation was incredibly simple with Eduu’s help. We were able to see all of the big 5 plus leopards, an amazing Serengeti sunrise and literally had a lion lying under our car!
Kilimanjaro was similarly arranged with Eduu’s help to find a guide and plan a route we could fit within placements. Online had said it wouldn’t be possible during our stay due to the rain but it turns out Marangu route is still scalable with covered huts. We certainly wouldn’t have been able to figure this out or organise the trip and the rental gear we needed without Eduu’s help. We did the 5 day Maranga route and aside from altitude which I found tough it was very doable even for me who hasn’t exercised properly in a few years and has no real mountaineering experience and to be honest in no way expected to do Kili whilst I was there. Take snack bars though and I would definitely read about it more before going! It’s hard to really describe Kili, I would say if you can do it.
We went on a one day excursion to Moshi organised by Eduu (aka Edward) with Temba as the guide and Moddi as the driver. Across the day (which was long but very manageable and didn’t feel rushed) we did the waterfalls, coffee tour and Moshi hot springs. I would definitely recommend Temba as a guide as he is from the local village (and his uncle is a police chief which helped at the speed checks on our way to Moshi).
The waterfalls were stunning and the route there was through a beautiful valley which took about 15-20 minutes on foot. I would strongly recommend hiking shoes or trainers as the path is narrow and can be muddy and slippery. The waterfalls themselves have a pool under which you can take a dip in but even if you aren’t I would take a towel and maybe a spare top as the spray off it completely drenched us as we messed about wading and walking around the base of it. Even though it was overcast and windy when we went I still loved it and would go again.
The coffee tour isn’t a tour exactly but is great fun. It involved some locals showing how they crush, peel and roast the coffee beans for use by hand while singing their incredibly fun and happy Twanga music. Singing and dancing to the Twanga was one of the most fun parts for me! The coffee was great and I would recommend the powdered coffee/sugar snack.
Lunch was with some locals was a banana soup. It wasn’t really to my liking involving a savoury soup with whole savoury banana and meats. However, I’m sure that could be changed and I did appreciate getting to this local dish. The banana wines were really different (one kind of a beery prosecco? And the other like liquid smoke) and I would recommend trying some!
We spent the afternoon at the Hot Springs which are a palm tree surrounded fresh water oasis like pool which I would 100% recommend for a relaxing swim/drift on the rope swings! When we went on the weekend there were lots of locals who were all very welcoming. Make sure your guide is looking after your bags, Temba and Moddi were very vigilant but another group had their bags nicked while their guide “watched”. Be ready for a bumpy drive to and from the hot springs but the route back gives you a beautiful view of the sunset behind mount Meru.

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