Accommodation in Tanzania and Zanzibar

Moshi/Kilimanjaro

In Moshi, there are the possibilities of accommodation with local families as well as accommodation at houses/flats shared with other foreign participants.

With the families, there are different standards and you can decide whether you prefer to stay with a family that is rather better off and can offer higher standard (single room, shower, Western toilet with flush, food which is rich in variety), or whether you prefer to stay with a Tanzanian "average" family (where you will still have a single room, but the standard of construction and furnishing will be lower, the sanitary installations will be simpler, and the food of less variety). The latter option is perfect, if you want to take part in a "true" African experience. In all cases, we will make sure that cleanliness and safety are being considered. At family accommodation, food will always be provided.

At the shared houses/flats, there is the possibility to cook by yourself. You will typically find a kitchen with fridge and gas or electric cooker; additionally shower and western toilet with water flush. But please note that for all accommodation in Tanzania, even if the houses are "high standard" for locals,  you are still in a developing country and you cannot expect the high standards that you might be accustomed to from your home country, for instance in terms of sanitary installations, construction standards or kitchen equipment.

If you stay at rural areas outside of Moshi Town (e.g. Siha District, Maasai country) you have to accept that living standards are lower. We will inform you about the available options.

Hereafter, we will present you some exemplary accommodation in more detail:

Yasmin's family

Yasmin's family is offering the highest standard one can imagine in Moshi. The house is surrounded by a high wall and has its own watchman. The 3 single rooms for our participants share  one bathroom and toilet. The house maids are cleaning the house and washing your cloths, they are also preparing food which is full or variety and abundant. Yasmin's and her husband's children are studying in Malaysia and Switzerland and only visit Tanzania during their summer break. Yasmin's husband is importing used 4WD cars from Japan and Dubai to Tanzania, Yasmin herself is not working. Therefore she has a lot of time and is caring extensively for her guests.

In our survey, former participants have always given excellent reviews to Yasmin's accommodation:

"The family is a dream and I felt just like a family member!!! Food was excellent and they made my stay a true highlight. I would have felt lost without them. Everything was perfect!!!!!"

"Yasmin has cared fantastically for me. If one of us was sick, she has looked after us; she has helped me planning the lessons for my teaching and always had time for me. We even did many family excursions, I really felt very well with her."

"What should I say: Yasmin is fantastic. Her family is welcoming you with open arms, even though it sometimes feels as if one had 15 years again, needing a minder"

"Everything was great at Yasmin's. Beautiful house, always very clean and it was always possible to have a chat with Yasmin. One just has to look at Yasmin's house, then it will be clear why in the survey we gave the maximum score to everything about her".

Gabriel's family

Gabriel's family is offering simple local standard for participants who are exactly looking for this. The house has cold shower and a western toilet with flush, which is even better than most other houses in the Majengo area; however the house is overall equipped in a simple way. Gabriel's wife is cooking outside on open fire which is being fired with sawdust that she gets for free from a sawmill. The food includes local specialities such as Ugali (corn flour porridge) with beans, beef or fish, or rice with vegetables such as carrots or potatoes. If Gabriel's children are visiting, the guest room is not available. In this case, our participants will stay at the neighbour's house which belongs to an elderly couple whose husband is working in Arusha and who therefore don't stay at their Moshi house. A young, Tanzanian couple is renting one room and is looking after the house. The other room would be available for you. Communal life with the neigbours, spending time together in the outdoor space "between the houses" and even entering into each other's houses as if it was yours, is a very common thing in rural areas as well as in the simpler parts of Moshi Town.

Housing complex in KCMC area

KCMC is the large hospital of Moshi and the area around it is generally referred to as "KCMC area". The area is hilly, airy and green in contrast to the rather dusty parts of Moshi located on the plains. In a housing complex which has a total of 14 rooms, we have rented 4 rooms for our participants, renovated them and furnished them. In the other rooms, East African students are staying who are studying at the university of Moshi. Four of these students are typically sharing one room (with bulk beds), whereas our rooms are meant for single or double occupancy, having one single bed or one double bed or two single beds. Each of our rooms has its own small bathroom with western toilet with flush, shower with instantaneous water heater and washing basin. Our 4 rooms are sharing one kitchen with gas cooker and fridge. The very green and attractive complex has got a large garden area with unblocked views onto Mount Kilimanjaro.

Flat in the city centre

In "Ghala Road" in Moshi there is a building located at a patio where some of our participants are staying. In the ground floor there is a two-room apartment with kitchen, corridor with dining table and sofa, as well as bathroom with hot shower and Western water toilets. The house is from the 1950s, when Moshi due to the success of the coffee trade grew to a real city, but has internally been completedly refurbished. Every room has two single beds with mosquito nets; the kitchen features an electric cooker, fridge and microwave. On the upper floor which is accessible by outdoor stairs, there are three single rooms which share one bathroom and kitchen.

Zanzibar

If your volunteer or internship activity takes place in or around Zanzibar Town, you will most probably stay at a shared house or apartment together with other participants of World Unite! You will have a single room - if you want you can also share a room with someone. You will share kitchen and toilet/shower with the others staying at the place. We will check cleanliness and safety of the houses/apartments. Most of them have western toilets with water flush, showers, electricity, fridge and electric cookers. Bed sheets and mosquito nets are being provided. However please be aware that even though our accommodation is of high standard for local expectations, you are still in a developing country and cannot expect the high standards that you may find in the developed world in terms of sanitary installations, construction, or kitchen equipment.

In Stone Town it is possible to eat out at affordable prices. 

Alternatively, there is the possibility to stay with local families in Stone Town. However, during the past years these families have found out that accommodating foreigners is a good source of income for them, therefore there is no large difference today in terms of price and the relationship they have with foreigners, between staying at such families and staying at commercial local guest houses. For those, preferring to stay with a local family, we are of course trying to find such families where this is not the case and where you will still be welcomed as a guest and well-integrated into the family. 

If you do an internship at a beach hotel outside of Zanzibar Town in most cases accommodation is provided by the hotel. If you volunteers or do internship at other places in Zanzibar, we will inform you about available accommodation.

Malindi flat

The apartment is located in the centre of Stone Town in a old Zanzibar mansion with patio, between the so-called "Big Tree", the Darajani Market and the seaport. From there, all sites, restaurants and bars can be easily reached by foot, and the Daladala station from where you can explore the rest of the Island or quickly drive to one of the beaches outside of town, is easily reachable.

The apartment is located on the second floor with the rooms being distributed around the patio open space. The landlady is living in the apartment on top of it. The flat has got 4 bedrooms which are all furnished with small wardrobes, table, chairs and a large Zanzibar bed with mosquito net, and ceiling fans. Three rooms have approximately the same size, one is slightly larger and is meant to be used for double occupancy. Further there is a living and dining room with television, a bathroom with two toilets and cold showers, a washing machine and a large kitchen with fridge, microwave and cooker. The corridor around the patio open space provides space to sit or hang cloths.

House Mombasa Area

The house is located in the Mombasa residential area of the middle class in the outskirts of Zanzibar town. It is being surrounded by a high wall and neighbouring a primary school and banana plantation. In the garden around the house you can relax or hang your cloths for drying. There is also a watchman staying at daytime, when our participants are typically out. 4 bedrooms are available in the house, out of which one has 2 beds for double occupancy. The rooms are furnished and decorated in a pleasing African style. Three rooms are quite spacious and share one bathroom with western toilet, hot shower and wash basin. The fourth room is slighly smaller, but has its own bathroom with hot shower, wash basin and toilet. All rooms have ceiling fans. Further there is a spacious kitchen with fridge, a dining table and sitting area with cushions. Rama, a local tour guide is staying at the house's fifth room. Our participants always enjoy the good relationship with him.

Aisha's family in Stone Town

Aisha's family is staying at an old Zanzibar house at the "Lebanon Brothers Square" in the centre of Stone Town. Characteristically, just behind the entrance door, there is a "baraza" sitting room where the family is usually spending time. Kitchen and bathroom are located on the ground level in the backyard. Using outdoor stairs in the backyard, one can reach the upper floor with the sleeping rooms. Your room is funcionally furnished with a large bed and mosquito net. The house is being shared with Aisha and her husband who are Zanzibaris of Indian origin and whose families have been staying in Zanzibar for generations, further with their adult daughter Leila who herself has a small daughter.

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* On our blog (Currently in German only) some families and accommodation are presented in detail.