Times in Tanzania: Usangi accomodation: Mhako Hostel and Restaurant

Main road in the morning. The cobbled road exists for the 20 ft in front of this building, otherwise it's dirt

One of my favorite nearby destinations is the small mountain town of Usangi, about an hour and half southeast of Moshi. The town acts as a great jumping off point for the forest reserves in the North Pare mountains, especially Kindoroko Forest, which I've written about twice (one, two) before.

Usangi is nestled in the North Pare mountains and is a one road affair with a few small roads leading to nearby farms and houses. The lush green landscape is a stark contrast to the nearby savanna and the the farmland, although found on sloping hillsides, is rich. Overall it is a sleepy town with about two shops selling food (sometimes), a primary and secondary school, and a church and mosque.

One of the most surprising features of Usangi is a guesthouse, especially one of decent quality.

The Mhako Hostel has a handful of rooms and they range from a "VIP" room ($60/night) with a private sitting room, balcony and bathroom, to small windowless cubes ($12/night). There are two that have a private bathroom, otherwise the bathroom is shared. If it's busy it can get a little gross as the toilet has some problem leaking and some patrons have problems pissing directly in the toilet. However, they will heat water for bucket baths and for the basic rooms, the price is right. There is also a restaurant where local food is served, which is affordable and filling. The only reason I find this guesthouse notable is that most guesthouses I stay at in towns the size of Usangi are dated, derelict and dirty while Mhako was obviously built recently with good materials and thoughtful design.

The most shocking thing about the guesthouse is that it's been nearly at capacity every time I've visited. And it's been full of Tanzanians, which is even more puzzling given that it doesn't appear many are hitting the forest trails and Usangi is more of a village than a town. It's a place I'd assume people have family instead of staying at a guesthouse. Plus, it's not THAT far from Moshi if you're traveling somewhere it doesn't even have a through road. I asked the reception on my recent stay and he said that people come for tourism. Having never seen anyone in the forest (though there are several trails and forests), I still remain a skeptic. Looks like next time I'll have to be chummy with other patrons and just ask directly if I want to quench my curiosity.