Hi everyone!

I'm a medical student from Melbourne planning to do my medical elective in Tanzania early next year. Basically I will be going there alone, but I'm doing my elective via this UK organisation called Work the World and I will be based at one of their houses for volunteers/students in Arusha.

I need some advice with regards to what are the "must-see" things, as I'm not sure if I'll have the opportunity to travel there again in the near future. Mt Kilimanjaro and the safaris probably? My elective is 6-weeks long, and I'll probably have the weekends free, so what are the places I can visit over a weekend? Any advice would be appreciated, as I will have to think about how long to extend my trip in order to travel around, and I can't afford to stay too long as 1) I have my next placement to go to in Melbourne, and 2) unfortunately, cost is a consideration as well. I'm hoping that I meet other volunteers/students when I get there, otherwise I'm not too sure about exploring the place alone.

Also, I'll be flying to Tanzania from Singapore, and as far as I know, the flights get to Dar Es Salaam, so what are my options and costs getting to Kilimanjaro? If anyone has any experience or advice with regards to flights there from Singapore, please do let me know what the best way is.

Thanks heaps in advance!

i spent one night camping in Arush at a place called Meserani Snake Park you should definitely give it a visit, not for the snakes but for the bar and atmosphere... it's run by South Africans and there are people in and out of there everyday cos it's where a lot of those overland tours stop for the night... very cool place

hi jasmine!

i don't know how flights from singapore would be routed, but i know london and amsterdam are the main ones in europe that fly down to tanzania (that leg would be about 800-1500USD depending on the month). both kenya air or precision has flights from dar to kili. kili airport is between moshi & arusha.. i think the ride from the airport to moshi was around 45 minutes? (or it might be longer, i can't remember.. sorry) since moshi is way smaller than arusha, you'd probably be able to find more options for safari & hiking packages there. hiking kili will take about a week, so if you're on a tight schedule, maybe look into doing neighboring mt meru instead. definitely check out the serengeti and/or ngorongoro crater-- i don't think it's do-able over a weekend but not checking either of those out is like going to egypt & not visiting the pyramids! zanzibar is another great place to check out.

good luck & have fun!!

You also should NOT miss Zanzibar!

Have you considered flying in to Nairobi instead? Its a lot closer to Arusha than Dar. And you can perhaps then visit Amboseli on the way through - this is one of my favourite NP's because of the sheer amount of Elephants there. I love the elephants. It was amazing.
Also - for ALL of the big 5 in pretty much one hit you cannot fail in the Ngorongoro - this place is simply superb and I definately recommend it.
The Serengeti depends on the time of year - half the year it is pretty much empty due to the migration of all the animals north into the Masai Mara.

Thanks everyone for your kind suggestions! =)

Zuleika: Yes I will most probably fly in from Nairobi, the Emirates flight I checked out flies from Singapore to Dubai to Nairobi to Kilimanjaro.

Burungi: Zanzibar's on my list! Though I'm not sure how many days I should be spending there? Plus the fact that I'll most likely be traveling alone, is that advisable?

I traveled solo to Kenya and Zanzibar in January and was totally fine. Just take the usual precautions (be aware of your surroundings, don't walk by yourself at night, etc...). I met a few other solo travelers with whom I spent a great deal of time and also a locals who were keen to show me around. Stone Town is beautiful and has so much history and the coasts are just gorgeous. You'll love it! I think about and miss Africa everyday...let me know if you have any other questions about Zanzibar or Nairobi.

Cheers,

Krista