The small town of Arusha is an hour or less from the Kilimanjaro International Airport and is the stepping stone into Tanzania’s Northern Circuit Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti national park. Arusha has its own regional airport that flies directly to popular destinations like the Serengeti and Zanzibar. It is a quaint little town, but there’s little more than a few museums and galleries in terms of local activities, which is why we wouldn’t recommend it for more than a night. However, visits to Arusha National Park are great ways to spend an afternoon if you have time to spare.

Even though Moshi is more conveniently located to Mount Kilimanjaro’s base, we prefer (and highly recommend) a night of recuperation in Arusha for Kili climbers.