Arusha Hotels & Resorts

Soar above Africa’s highest mountain on this Kilimanjaro scenic flight. The one-hour trip departs from Arusha airport and passes over the national park, providing aerial views of ancient craters and herds of animals. You’ll fly in a Cessna Grand Caravan, which can accommodate eight passengers in window seats. This type of aircraft is used all over the world for scenic flights and has high wings that don’t obstruct the view.

The one-hour trip departs from Arusha airport at 7.00am. When you board the plane, you’ll be given a headset and tablet loaded with an audio app that has geolocation tracking, so you can learn about the landmarks below as you fly. As you climb high above the clouds, Kilimanjaro dominates the view with its sparkling glaciers and mighty peaks.

The flight is run by Ruka Africa, the pioneer of Kilimanjaro flights, in partnership with Grumeti Airline. The flight route follows a figure-eight path on the northern side of Mount Kilimanjaro, so you’ll see everything regardless of which part of the plane you sit in. What’s more, Ruka Africa works with Carbon Tanzania, an organisation that plants trees in key areas of the country to offset their emissions.

Connect with nature on this relaxed mountain bike tour through Arusha National Park. The trip lasts three hours and starts at the Momela Gate, which leads down to a single track through the forest. You’ll be fitted out with a top-quality mountain bike and safety gear for the trip, which is all about highlighting Arusha’s natural history and wildlife, as well as encouraging sustainability.

You’ll cycle downhill through an ancient forest filled with huge native trees. Arusha lies on the slopes of Mount Meru, a large volcano, and in places there are ponds which draw fantastic birdlife and animals such as bushbucks, zebra, warthogs and wildebeest. Stop at viewpoints along the way to chat with your guide and learn about Arusha’s geography and wildlife. To ensure the experience is as intimate as possible, there’s a maximum of eight guests per tour and plenty of rest stops so you can absorb the scenery.

Learn all about the history of coffee in East Africa on this bean-to-cup tour. It’s a one-hour walk through the plantation at Arusha Coffee Lodge, where you’ll discover the entire coffee-making process, from planting to harvesting and roasting the beans.

The walk itself is lovely as you get to stroll among the lush fields, entertained by monkeys and bush babies, while birds sing in the indigenous trees.

During harvest season, you can join the coffee pickers to experience the art of selecting ripe beans. The best part of the tour for most guests is getting to taste a freshly-brewed cup of coffee from the fields. You also have the opportunity to buy the beans from the store.

Give back while you travel by visiting Shanga, a social enterprise that employs Tanzanians with disabilities to make gifts from recycled materials. Visits usually last at least an hour and start with a brief sign language session so you’re able to greet the team. You’ll be taken through the workshop to departments, which include weaving, beading, glass blowing and woodwork. Everything is made from recycled materials whilst shredded paper and cooking oil fire the furnaces.

Shanga is based at Arusha Coffee Lodge and became part of the Elewana Corporate Social Responsibility Program in 2017. They have two main missions: to employ as many people with a disability as possible and to make the products with recycled materials. They currently employ 52 people, 35 of whom have some sort of disability. In 2019 they saved up to 100 tonnes of waste from going to landfill. The main focus of the tour is to remove the stigma that people with disabilities often face.

Some of the staff have faced huge challenges because of their disabilities; many are deaf, have prosthetic limbs or are in a wheelchair so just getting an education and a job can be a mammoth task. Through word of mouth though, they get a lot of people come to them looking for work and when there’s a vacancy, they train applicants to make everything from necklaces to shopping bags and glass vases.

There are lots of activities you can take part in too. Sit with a team and make a bracelet or shopping bag and try trickier tasks like weaving, Tinga Tinga painting and glass blowing. Guests love the face-to-face interaction with the team and seeing how happy they are to work at Shanga. At the end of the tour, you can browse the gift shop. All the profit from sales goes straight back into Shanga and gives them the chance to employ more people with disabilities in Tanzania.