Waterfalls on your own for less than 50 $
Arusha and Moshi are two cities that share beautiful natural hidden gems such as national parks, waterfalls and much more.
I heard so many good things about Materuni waterfalls that stopping there was a M.U.S.T for me! Plus, I don't think I have ever been to a waterfall or at least I can't recall!
Most hotels and agencies in Moshi/Arusha propose the Materuni Waterfall tour for 120USD (from Arusha) and 60 USD from Moshi. Apparently the more people you have in the group, the cheaper it is (cheaper would be 60 USD and not less unless you bargain to death) . The tour generally includes a visit to Materuni waterfalls, a coffee farm tour (to see how coffee is produced, taste coffee etc) or /and a banana farm (learn how to cook banana, what are the different types of banana etc).
NB: The price will not change even if you just want to visit the waterfalls and nothing else.. For example, I really didn't want to go to the farms because:
A. Already been to a Coffee farm & I don't like coffee.
B. Learning how to cook plantain? REAAAAAAAALLY??! I'm from Ivory Coast.. we own PLANTAIN COOKING aaaaand I SAID WHAT I SAID 😁
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Anyways, I wasn't too happy with being forced to visit those farms and spending that much just for waterfalls... After all, they are amazing but they are just water scrolling down rocks 🙄 (the broke me speaking).
Even though I had included it in my budget, I was still hoping to find a cheaper way and since there is a God for the less fortunate, the cheaper way came to me !! Indeed, the friends I made in the bus turned out to be such great helpers.
Can you imagine my smile when the Tanzanian friends I made in the bus from Nairobi (ref.article) told me I COULD DO IT ON MY OWN FOR LESS THAN 30$ 😲
🤑🤑 CAN YOU IMAGINE THE SAVINGS? Especially in a country like Tanzania?? 🤑🤑
They even draw out the itinerary map for me to get there on my own and gave me their numbers in case I needed anything! And that's where being social pays a lot! I should start a course.. Sociability 101 😂
The dream of every traveler on a budget is to find deals and make savings🤷🏾. Since, Google doesn't tell everything, you sometimes have to rely on a more reliable and rich source : locals (people from the country); They are the best source for advice and deals (when they don't try to sell you overpriced things), trust me!
Itinerary🔰
I was supposed to go to Materuni falls because they were "the thing" and the focus of touristic companies but everyone in the bus I took to Moshi and Marangu told me to go to Kilasya falls because they were apparently stronger, better and bigger !
I asked why shouldn't i go to Materuni, and they told me the only reason why they are touristy and deemed to be "the" ones is because Materuni has a bigger coffee farm and since most tours include the coffee tour, they are the more popular ! Anyways they successfully convinced me and here I was bargaining my way to Kilasya
Tips before we leave :
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Prepare the exact change for public transportation especially the dara-dara , if you don't have change remind the driver partner to give you back your change every 15 mins
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Ask a local seating next to you the price to make sure you get back your exact change
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Carry a bag with water, snacks/ a swimsuit if you plan on swimming and sneakers !
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Leave early to get there early and come back home early #safety
From Arusha
Get a bus that goes to Moshi, follow the men who shout Moshi and ask them if they go to Moshi Terminal.
They are called coasters so don't confuse them with dara-dara (matatus). Also, before boarding, ask if it's an Economy or a Luxury coaster since the Economy costs 2500 and the Luxury 3000.
I didn't and I accidentally boarded on the Luxury one.. I didn't have change and was short of 500 but the guy sitting next to me proposed to pay ( really nice of him 😄) .
Like matatu/dara Dara the drivers will wait until the bus is full before departing.
They leave quite early and that's better because it takes a while to get there. We left Arusha at 7:30 am and reached Moshi at 10 am.
From Moshi
Once in Moshi, you have to take another bus to Marangu. As I ended up not going to Materuni falls, you will have to verify that you need to take another bus because I heard some people saying you just need to stay in Moshi and take public transportation to the falls.
Once you get in the Marangu bus to Kilasya falls, don't be shy and tell people to show you where you have to get off #Sociability101. I forgot the name because my lazy a** didn't write this article right after the trip but it's a place where the dara-dara will stop to look for more clients, you will also see a herd of drivers just waiting around . If you see them , get off !
*Getting around in Tanzania is very hard because they don't speak English , their national language is Swahili ! And even if you speak Swahili not everybody does .. in remote regions like Marangu they speak their own language but always give it a try*
*Also , if the bus from Arusha to Moshi is pretty comfortable, the dara-dara is NOT AT ALL , my mistake was to seat in the front (didn't have the choice tho because they were already full each time I boarded one). For a seating capacity of 15 people they will double it .. so if you aren't comfortable with this , close this page and look for a much more comfortable and hustle free 120 USD tour !
In Marangu
When you get off the bus, they will naturally come to you. If they don't, ask them for a guide to Kilasya falls (if you want to go there). If you don't want to , ask for some other waterfalls (they will tell you).
They will try to make you pay 40.000 or 50.000 for the driver and the guide but having a driver if you are going to Kilasya isn't worth it ❌! It's not that far and anyways you will have to hike/ climb to get to the falls, plus you are in Tanzania, enjoy a bike ride , it's not given everyday! So if you follow my advice, don't hire a driver but instead hire a guide and use piki piki to get to the falls and wherever you want to get to.
Ask for David (he was my guide) , let him state his price but bargain it down to 20.000. If you hire him , tell him you don't want a driver and would rather use a piki-piki , which you will pay 2000 Tzshs for both of you wherever you go :)
Now, the question is "do I need a guide" ? Well it depends. I preferred to have a guide because I didn't know where I was going , plus at the falls , if David wasn't there I might have died climbing those rocks to the source (water is a silent killer 😪)
David my guide
Kilasya Falls
Expressly edited it as an old picture, I love the result
David or other guides will tell you that the entrance price is 20.000 Tzshs... they always do that, but I ain't dumb so I asked for the price list and it turned out the price for me was 10.000! So guys , ASK for the price list because there are two different prices: 10.000 for students and volunteers & 20.000 for others! They are nice people but don't always believe what they tell you , better be safe than sorry.
Anyways, the WATERFALLS, THE HUSTLE WAS WORTH IT ( REMEMBER IT WAS MY FIRST TIME AT WATERFALLS?) I was so happppppy! The water was way too cold so I finally didn't swim. David told me it's because it's the water melting from Kilimanjaro.. wellllll.
So, all in all
I DID A WATERFALL TOUR OF 120 USD ON MY OWN & IT COSTED ME....
I DID A WATERFALL TOUR OF 120 USD ON MY OWN & IT COSTED ME....
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Bus from Arusha to Moshi Roundtrip : 5500 Tzshs
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Bus from Moshi to Arusha roundtrip : 6000 Tzshs
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Bus from Moshi to Marangu: 6000 Tzshs
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Kilasya falls entrance fees : 10.000 Tzshs
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Guide : 20.000 Tzshs
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Piki : 4500 Tzshs