What's up guys, how are you doing today? It's Tayo Aina here, reporting for DW from
the beautiful city of Arusha in Tanzania. I'm currently in the city center in front
of this beautiful monument, it's called the clock tower. And it's one of the first things
you will see if you are coming down to Arusha for the first time. And today I'm going to
be taking you around the city and showing you some of the most exciting places and exciting
things to do if you're coming down here for the first time. So, let's jump right in.
Tanzania is a country in East Africa, known for its vast wilderness areas, Africa's highest
mountain, and offshore island called Zanzibar. It has over 56 million people who speak over
100 languages, the main one being Swahili. When you think of Tanzania, the major thing
that comes to mind is tourism which provides over 17% of the country s GDP.
Most tourists who come here usually focus on Zanzibar, but today we are going to
be exploring another city that is not talked about as much – Arusha.
Just landed in Arusha, Tanzania. I flew into the city from Nairobi and arriving
at Arusha airport, the first thing I noticed was that it was really green.
The air was so clean and devoid of smoke and fumes that I was used to in bigger cities.
The small airport which ran alongside a major expressway also had smaller planes which were
to fly people to different safaris across the city.
The first thing that stood out to us on entering the city was the clock tower.
Located exactly halfway between Cairo and Capetown, Arusha represents the middle of
the old British empire marked by a monumental clock tower.
This landmark clock tower has an interesting background and you can't miss it on entering
the city because of its unique location.
The next day our task was to find Mount Kilimanjaro,
which is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira.
It is the highest mountain in Africa and the
highest single free mountain above sea level in the world.
5,895 meters above sea level and about 4,900 meters above it's plateau base.
We started out our trip at the base of the mountain which was close to Moshi,
another town in Tanzania. This took us around 2 hours. On getting there we couldn't find the mountain
as the weather was so foggy.
We are 10 minutes from Moshi, which is a town
at the bottom of Kilimanjaro because we had to come really close so that we can show you
guys this amazing wonder of nature. So behind me is the awesome Kilimanjaro!
We decided to wait at the coffee shop 'till the sun went down a bit to see if the skies would clear.
Talking about coffee, it would be good to
note that coffee production in Tanzania is a significant aspect of its economy as it's
Tanzania's largest export crop. Tanzanian coffee production averages between 30,000
and 40,000 metric tons annually of which approximately 70% is arabica and 30% is robusta.
As the sun started to set, we still couldn't see the mountain so I decided to take a
drive all the way to the exact base, this took us another 30 minutes. On the drive up,
my hope of seeing the mountain began to sink as it was getting really dark and the peak
of Mount Kili was nowhere in sight. We finally got to the gate and sadly it was closed.
I can't even see the mountain from here, I think the mountain is meant to be somewhere here.
We met the park manager who gave us some information
about entering into the mountain park. How much do we pay to enter?
- It's 82. - 82 US dollars?
- Yes. - Have you been to the top before?
- Yes, yes, yes. - How many times?
- Like, more than 10 times. - Wow!
Yeah, and actually it's easy. You walk slowly, slowly, slowly until to the top.
- Wow. - Yes.
- But it snows at the top? - Yeah, the mountain there to the top is covered
by snow throughout the year. That's why many people are still coming to enjoy it.
- Really? - Yes.
The weather is really cold and it's just 6 o'clock and you can imagine, if you are climbing
to the top, it takes 4 days. So it's going to get maybe 25 times cooler than this.
And the formula for the mountain is: slowly, slowly.
After spending some time with them, all hope
was practically lost as the sun has already set.
So we started our drive down the mountain. Just at the final moment, as we were about
to make our last turn to exit the area, the clouds suddenly cleared.
And there it was – the beautiful Mount Kili in all its awesomeness with the last ray of
the sun shining on it. Finally, it comes out! When we were just about leaving, at the last
minute, it opens up and this is it behind us here.
These are some of what happens when you are out there, you know looking for the perfect
shot. Sometimes you just have to be in the right
place at the right time, you can search throughout the whole day and you might not find what
you re looking for. Our patience paid out today. It was such an amazing moment as we
scrambled to get out our cameras and drones to get shots of it
after a few minutes, just as it had suddenly appeared it took its finally leave behind
the clouds. I'm glad our mission was finally accomplished.
If you would love to see mount Kili I recommend you go early in the morning or
just before sunset. If you would also like to climb the mountain, I recommend really
exercising because you need to be really fit to make this happen.
The next day we visited Kikuletwa Hot Springs or mostly known as Chemka Hot Springs,
which was about 2 hours from Arusha.
The 2 hour trip can sometimes be longer due to the bad road to the destination.
Finally got to Chemka Hot Spring, this is one
of the most exciting places to visit if you're coming down to Arusha in Tanzania.
The Chemka Hot Spring is an oasis, it is great for relaxing and unwinding, the spring is
very deep and in some places up to 10 meters. But the water is so clear that you can see
the bottom well at all times.
How deep is it? How many meters or how many feet?
It's like 7 to 10, depending on some areas.
For someone who doesn't know how to swim, you can rent a tube or you can get a swimming
guide to support you.
Today is the first time in 15 years since I came to Tanzania.
Guys, I'm about to go into the Kikuletwa Hot Springs.
- Are you going to dive for us? - I'm not diving.
You don't test deep water with both feet. About to jump in!
Let's go!
The first thing I noticed when I was inside the water was
that it was really clear and it's also kind of deep because I'm like 6 feet and
I was standing in the water and my head was submerged.
This is a God-given tourism location in Arusha.
And its cool that they are able to utilize it. And a lot of people who are here, as you
can see behind me, coming to experience the sweetness, and the beauty of Chemka Hot Springs.
- Chicken, and this is lamb. - Ok, nice.
This is for you.
The hot spring has lots of tourists visit
because of its popularity so I would advise you to visit early in the day when the water
is at its clearest.
I want to show you guys the tanzanite experience.
So tanzanite is a very precious rock, Tanzania is the only place it's found all over the world.
And there's a place called the tanzanite museum and that's where we are walking to right now.
So come along with me, let's explore, and
let me show you guys what tanzanite looks like.
Upon entry, they provided me with a nice little exhibition about tanzanite mining that takes
no longer than 15 minutes. They brought us to this room where we are
watching a video about the tanzanite experience, so we learn more about how tanzanite is found here.
The shop offers an excellent choice of tanzanite
stones of all sizes and shapes and can serve as a unique gift to a loved one because of how rare it is.
In a separate section, there is a replica
of a tanzanite mine that gives you a taste of what being a miner feels like.
Tanzanite is a blue and violet variety of the mineral zoisite.
A calcium aluminum hydroxyl sorosilicate caused by small amounts of vanadium.
According to a Tanzanian geologist the circumstances that led to its formation 585 million years ago
were so exceptional that the likelihood of finding tanzanite anywhere else on earth
is one in a million. Making it a thousand times rarer than diamonds.
And since tanzanite can only be found in Tanzania, I would definitely recommend you add this
to your list of experiences to explore upon visiting the beautiful town of Arusha.
Our last location to visit was the Arusha Cultural Heritage Center which is a privately
owned collection of shops and galleries that showcases arts from renowned artists around
the African continent. The center was founded in 1994 and is currently
one of the largest in east Africa and is also located along the Arusha highway on the outskirts
of the city of Arusha. The main building is designed to resemble
the Uhuru peak of Kilimanjaro. The exterior of the gallery is built in the shape of a
drum, shield, and spear, all major African symbols. The symbols resonate with the role
of the gallery which is to communicate and celebrate Africa's cultural heritage, the
proceeds from the gallery go to the conservations of elephants in Africa and the main concept
of this is anti-poaching clearly defined by the sculpture of the large unique beaded elephant.
It takes about an hour or two to browse through the amazing art collection.
- It's heavy, this is a rhino. - It's what?
- Malachite. - Malachite.
- Yes. The center is not limited to art only, there
are other items to see such as jewelry, clothes, spices, and leather products all of which
you could sample or buy.
There are lots of wood carvings like this one here.
And then there's lots of artifacts, anything you want to buy, there's beads, there's
earrings and a whole lot of wooden artifacts, too.
It's a great place to stop by if you would love to learn about the art scene down here.
If you're coming down to Arusha, definitely check it out, its one of the awesome places
to see and also experience art and culture. It has over 1,500 artists from all over Africa.
And if you are somebody who loves art, come check it out and pick one up.
Exploring Arusha showed me that there is a lot to discover and learn from traveling across
the beautiful country of Tanzania. It's sweeping mountains, safaris and amazing
landscape is a sight to behold. The culture and very calm feel of the city
makes for one of the best vacation destinations ever, if you are looking for an amazing way
to experience nature in its truest form, or if you've ever dreamed of an African adventure.
I recommend you visit the beautiful city of Arusha, thank you guys for watching,
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