Hello!
My name is Becki and I am 21 years old. I have spent the past 4/5 years in and out of Uganda and absolutly love it, i have many friends there and im slowly getting to grips with the local languages (two of them anyway!). Its a wonderful place.
One of my best friends from there has just gone to Tanzania for 6 months (im in the UK at the moment) and Im going back to Uganda at the beginning of December. Im desperate to visit him but no idea where to start and none of my friends from UG have been to TZ before so can't offer me any advice!
Has anyone done this route?! Am i safe going on my own or should i drag a friend along with me? Some people have reccomended flying, but its way more expensive and i would quite like to go by bus! I have gone by bus to nairobi but only once and with a friend, tanzania is a bit further away apparently two days to get there. Will i need kenyan shillings as well as i pass through there or just ugandan shillings and tanzanian currency? Whats Arusha like, has anyone been there? Are they quite friendly? I've been quite spoilt by kampala although im rarely lost these days, guys there are so friendly and nairobi was a bit of a shock!
Any advice would be great, even better if you happen to be travelling in december/january and don't mind me tagging along with you!! If you're going to Uganda any time soon, happy to offer any advice about that too.......
THANK YOU!
Becki
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Well, if you have been to Nairobi before then it is easy to get to Tanzania from there. You might want to spend the night in Nairobi and then get another bus the next day to Arusha. Bus companies like Scandanavian and Akamba have a couple of buses a day that go to Arusha or Moshi and it will take you about 5 or 6 hours. It's not a bad journey and there's some nice scenery. You cross the border at Namanga where you will get a tanzanian visa. I'd say that you would be perfectly safe doing this journey on your own providing you use public transport.
As for money, you will need $ to get your visas, and you will probably have to get some kenyan shillings for the stopover in Nairobi and buying a bus ticket onto Arusha. If possible avoid changing money at the borders because you will get very poor rates.
Arusha is nice, although it is a big city and therefore there are lots of people, lots of pollution, lots of traffic etc. But overall, the people are friendly and I like the area. There will be lots of other travellers there so you won't be alone. Alternatively you could go to Moshi, the next town after Arusha. It's at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro and is a much smaller town and maybe a bit more friendly than Arusha.
Hope you have a good trip!
Thanks so much! My friend lives in Arusha so i'll meet him there i guess, but i was just a bit worried about travelling all that way alone! I'm used to travelling alone all over Uganda but not really confident at crossing boarders! Staying over night in nairboi sounds like a plan and it cuts down some of the travelling times. Thanks for the advice. Its a pain about changing money into kenyan shillings just for one night but i know they don't take dollars everywhere.
Thanks, when were you there?
Becki
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If you're not too confident aout crossing borders on your own you might like to know that there are a number of companies (Davanu, RIverside and Impala shuttles) that offer a shuttle service between Nairobi and Arusha for about $20 or $30 one way. These shuttle services are aimed mainly at tourists so you'll be on a bus with lots of other travellers and they pick up and drop off at a few different hotels in each location. I guess it cuts out some of the hassle but you pay a bit more for it. I'm sure you'll be fine whatever you do. I'm around the same age as you and have crossed that border alone several times in the past few years and it's always been fine. One bit of advice, just smile and look like you know what you're doing even if you don't!
I lived in Arusha for the last year when i was studying at a college there. It's a nice place once you get used to it. It feels like home to me! I hope you enjoy it too, take care!
Thank you so much, thats a great idea and i might just have to use on of those shuttles! I havent heard of them before but just googled them and got some more good advice. I don't mind paying a bit extra if it means getting there safely.
Which college were you studying at there? My friend is studying at a bible college, can't wait to go, it will be quite an adventure i guess!
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