Drive Around Kili!

I know I mentioned this before in a previous post, but this last January I got a chance to drive around Kilimanjaro, looking at it from all different angles. It was cloudy that day, so I didn’t get any epic view, but the moutain did peak out from time to time.
One thing is for sure. If you get off the Moshi – Arusha – Marangu paved road, there is nobody around, just the occasional village and the lone Masai herding his goat. Near Marangu there are a slew of villages, but after that, it’s pretty tame and relaxed.

It’s actually pretty cool on the northern side of Kilimanjaro, near Rongai. It’s very heavily wooded and the loggers and people that live there and build their homes out of wood, which on the southern side of Kilimanjaro is rather scarce – as most people build their houses out of mud or cement.

Plus there aren’t any tourists around so you get a little slice of perspective that is different from the other touristy areas.

If you want to take a break and do some exploring, tell your tour operator you want to drive around Kilimanjaro. About half way through, near Rongai, there is a guest house, but I can’t remember the name.