Day Trips
For recreation, the hotel has a swimming pool and croquet lawn, or guests may simply relax in the comfortable bar and lounges, or in our lovely gardens. Birdwatchers frequently rave about the many varieties of birds (over 30 at the last count) seen around the hotel's grounds. There are also pretty walks to be had locally through the surrounding banana and coffee farms, and along the river that borders the hotel on one side. Where time permits, the colourful local markets are well worth a visit.

Arusha National Park: A full day can be spent at this park. It takes about 2 hours to drive to the park from Marangu, and one can then spend several hours driving around the park's main attractions of Ngurdoto crater, and the Momella lakes which teem with bird life and where hippo can also be seen. Towering over the park is Mount Meru. This is Africa's fifth highest mountain, often ignored because of the proximity of Kilimanjaro, but a fascinating and beautiful mountain in its own right. It is possible to drive right up to the crater floor, but one has to choose either to do that or to drive around the park's other attractions, since there is not enough time to do both in a day trip from Marangu. As far as cost is involved, to hire a four wheel drive vehicle for a day usually costs about $150 to $200, and park entrance fees are $25 per adult over 16 years for a day. If a party numbers around 4 people, this can be quite manageable financially - many do this on a free day after climbing Kilimanjaro and before flying home.

Lake Chala: This is a beautiful and remote crater lake to the south east of Kilimanjaro. The border between Tanzania and Kenya bisects it. It is only about an hour's drive from Marangu, and is a lovely place to go for a picnic. Energetic visitors can climb down to the water's edge, but swimming is not recommended since crocodiles are occasionally seen.