Mbugani Hotel

Those endless stairs might be good exercise, unless you’ve just finished running a marathon! I stayed here during the Kilimanjaro marathon. The staff were nice, the food was okay, and they offered juice when I arrived. My clean room had a fan, but felt too large for the few amenities, and the shower area was comparatively small with no room to turn around.

I had an extremely bad experience with the receptionist, Makena. The hotel was full, and while I was trying to find other accommodation, she took the contact details for another place I’d found and went ahead and booked all its available rooms. I believe she was acting for herself, not on behalf of the hotel. It felt like greed and betrayal. Be careful dealing with the hotel staff.

Some of the staff were amazing, while others seemed not to care at all. I ordered salads more than once and waited an hour, and the laundry was obnoxiously expensive. My clothes came back damp. The place had potential, with a very nice, clean interior, private balconies with amazing views of Kili, and working air-conditioning. I know it’s a fairly remote location, but there was barely enough hot water for a couple of 2-3 minute showers. After a week of hiking, that was a real letdown. There were no towels in the room, and it took 45 minutes to get one.

Staff were extremely helpful, and it’s a good base for a Kilimanjaro climb since you can leave a bag here and collect it after. The rooms were clean and everything worked. Breakfast was barely enough.