Morogoro
Morogoro is a bustling town on the foot of the Uluguru Mountains. Early morning the muezzins of numerous mosques wake you up gently, while later the song from Sunday morning messes in equally numerous churches takes over. There are many missions located in Morogoro, the Cultural Tourism programme is excellent, climate is slightly cooler than in Dar and with the New Acropol Hotel as a base, Morogoro is a great base to explore Tanzania beyond Dar es Salaam.
Morogoro is a bustling town on the foot of the Uluguru Mountains. Early morning the muezzins of numerous mosques wake you up gently, while later the song from Sunday morning messes in equally numerous churches takes over. There are many missions located in Morogoro, the Cultural Tourism programme is excellent, climate is slightly cooler than in Dar and with the New Acropol Hotel as a base, Morogoro is a great base to explore Tanzania beyond Dar es Salaam.
The place to stay in Morogoro is the New Acropol Hotel (Tel. 023 261 34 03 or 0754 30 94 10; http://newacropolhotel.biz/; Doubles are 50US$ per room and night). Unpretentiously located on the Old Dar es Salaam road with a garden that could do with a brush up, the true highlights of the Hotel are its fantastic bar, with deep leather chairs and numerous safari souvenirs, and a great selection of starters to enjoy, served by very friendly staff, dinners – try the Acropol special Pepper steak – in the surprisingly posh restaurant behind, as well as very good cooked breakfasts with fresh filter coffee! The New Acropol also has a few nice rooms to stay overnight – if they are full, try the cheaper rooms at Mama Pierinas just across the corner on Station Road, or the Uluguru Hotel downtown, which has tiny little but clean rooms with showers for little more than 10US$ - ask for a room on the upper floors with a great view on the Uluguru Mountains.
For good Indian food head down Station road to the New Green Restaurant, and for excellent deep fried calamari, chips and pizza try the Dragonaires Restaurant slightly outside Morogoro, still on the old Dar es Salaam road. The latter is a favourite of the Expat community of Morogoro.
The Saint Gaspar’s College and Mission on the New Dar es Salaam road (on your right heading towards Dar es Salaam, Tel. 023 260 41 65 or 0754 47 65 26 or 0784 50 23 08 or 0754 88 37 88) sells excellent Mozzarella, smoked cheese, sausages, poultry, turkey and pork (order meat in advance) – a stop with a cool box on your way back to Dar es Salaam is well worth to get your stock! Pira Supermarket down town stocks almost everything a Westerners heart desires for, but make sure it is open! A couple of Indian shops next to the down town round about also sell the excellent Azam ice cream.
The Oasis Hotel has a good swimming pool open to day guests. Walking up the Mango tree alley of Boma road is nice and shady, and leads into the old Colonial district of Morogoro, up to the Boma, now the regional administration, and a patch of remaining rain forest. If you continue Boma road all the way up the mountain, you ultimately reach the former, now semi relict Colonial resort of Morningside (see separate chapter). Close to the Boma is also the Rock Garden restaurant on a stream – a nice place for a soda or a cool beer after a hike in the Uluguru Mountains, or a sun downer you have deserved anyway.
There are a number of Kanga printing factories in Morogoro that produced wonderful cloth with typical local patterns – a stroll across the market to buy one or the other of the Kangas is well worth. The Chilunga Cultural Tourism Programme of Morogoro (their offices are located next to YMCA behind the hospital or contact Charles Masunzu, one of their guides directly, Tel. 0787 46 73 21; e-mail: charlesmasunzu@yahoo.com) can organize not only hikes into the Uluguru Mountains (see separate chapter), but also visits into the Kanga factory, to the local en gros fruit and vegetable market, into a mess of one of the numerous churches and more.
For good Indian food head down Station road to the New Green Restaurant, and for excellent deep fried calamari, chips and pizza try the Dragonaires Restaurant slightly outside Morogoro, still on the old Dar es Salaam road. The latter is a favourite of the Expat community of Morogoro.
The Saint Gaspar’s College and Mission on the New Dar es Salaam road (on your right heading towards Dar es Salaam, Tel. 023 260 41 65 or 0754 47 65 26 or 0784 50 23 08 or 0754 88 37 88) sells excellent Mozzarella, smoked cheese, sausages, poultry, turkey and pork (order meat in advance) – a stop with a cool box on your way back to Dar es Salaam is well worth to get your stock! Pira Supermarket down town stocks almost everything a Westerners heart desires for, but make sure it is open! A couple of Indian shops next to the down town round about also sell the excellent Azam ice cream.
The Oasis Hotel has a good swimming pool open to day guests. Walking up the Mango tree alley of Boma road is nice and shady, and leads into the old Colonial district of Morogoro, up to the Boma, now the regional administration, and a patch of remaining rain forest. If you continue Boma road all the way up the mountain, you ultimately reach the former, now semi relict Colonial resort of Morningside (see separate chapter). Close to the Boma is also the Rock Garden restaurant on a stream – a nice place for a soda or a cool beer after a hike in the Uluguru Mountains, or a sun downer you have deserved anyway.
There are a number of Kanga printing factories in Morogoro that produced wonderful cloth with typical local patterns – a stroll across the market to buy one or the other of the Kangas is well worth. The Chilunga Cultural Tourism Programme of Morogoro (their offices are located next to YMCA behind the hospital or contact Charles Masunzu, one of their guides directly, Tel. 0787 46 73 21; e-mail: charlesmasunzu@yahoo.com) can organize not only hikes into the Uluguru Mountains (see separate chapter), but also visits into the Kanga factory, to the local en gros fruit and vegetable market, into a mess of one of the numerous churches and more.
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