Springland Hotel is the launch pad of many Kilimanjaro and Safari tours. The hotel is just outside Moshi and surrounded by tall walls. We were at first a bit suspicious about the neighborhood in which the hotel is situated. Feels a bit dodgy and is right next to the railroad tracks. However, once inside, it’s almost as if you had entered another world. It’s certainly not a luxury resort, but it is distinctively different that its surroundings. The rooms are simple but clean, with running cold water and a hot water tank. If you forget to heat up water during the night, you’ll have the pleasure of taking a cold shower (or none at all).

Breakfast is simple, youth hostel style, but gets you going for the day.

The hotel features an internet cafe, a small pool and a nice garden. You can also buy water and some basic supplies for your trip there. It’s ok to hang out for an afternoon, but we can not recommend adding any extra days unless you have a good book with you - there’s just not that much to do  and there are much more desirable places (e.g. the Safari lodges).

If you need to rent a safety deposit box, get up early and do that BEFORE breakfast. We were not that smart and had trouble, since they run out of boxes. After quite some begging, a member of the staff was kind enough to hide our bag somewhere in the office. We  did not feel completely confident that we would see all out things again, but everything went well. However, you can safe yourself from the worries and just get up early.