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Swim in a clear, palm-fringed natural spring
Real guests, in their own words on Google.
“Had a great time with Shaiya, very talkative and funny! We went to the Chemka hot springs, where he assisted us with taking pictures and provided us with a lot of information. He also told us about the "hidden gems" of Arusha and about the tours to Kilimanjaro…”
From the field
Real footage from Chemka, filmed by Beast of Africa.
What you get — from $128 per person
Free with every booking
No risk to ask: your price is free and without obligation, and the price I write down is the price you pay. Prices checked November 2026.
★ 4.8 Google★ 5.0 TripadvisorGovernment-licensed guide
Chemka or Materuni? Compare →A day trip to Chemka (Kikuletwa) Hot Springs, a clear spring-fed pool between Moshi and Arusha — a popular way to unwind after a climb or safari.
Chemka is a geological accident and one of the best swimming holes in East Africa. The water is not volcanic — that is the common misunderstanding. It is rain and snowmelt that fell on Kilimanjaro years ago, filtered down through porous volcanic rock, travelled underground, and surfaced here in the middle of dry acacia scrub at a constant temperature somewhere in the high twenties Celsius. The locals call it Kikuletwa; Chemka means “boiling” in Swahili, which refers to the way the sand bubbles where the spring pushes up, not to the temperature.
Morning: The drive from Moshi takes a little over an hour, the last stretch on rough track through Maasai grazing land. There is nothing in the landscape to suggest what is coming. You park under trees, walk a short path, and the ground simply opens into a pool of water so clear you can count stones four metres down.
The colour is the thing people remember. Depending on the light it runs from pale turquoise at the shallow end to deep blue-green where the fig roots hang into the water. Those roots are the other feature — enormous figs grow along the banks and send root systems down into the pool, and the rope swing hangs from one of them.
Midday: There is a shallow end where the sand is warm and a deeper channel where the current is strong enough to swim against. Snorkelling is worthwhile — there are small fish and the visibility is extraordinary. If you are not a swimmer, the shallow section near the source is waist-deep and calm.
Simple food is available on site — grilled chicken, chips, sodas — or we can bring a picnic if you prefer.
Afternoon: Return to Moshi, typically arriving mid-to-late afternoon.
Timing matters here more than at most places. Chemka is popular with Moshi and Arusha residents at weekends, and by midday on a Saturday it can be busy and loud. On a weekday morning you may have long stretches of it to yourself. We will tell you honestly which day suits.
What to bring: swimwear, towel, sunscreen, and water shoes if you have them — the entry stones are smooth but the bank can be muddy. Bring cash for the entrance, which is collected informally at the gate.
Combines well with: Materuni, if you want waterfall and hot spring in one long day. Also a good recovery day after Kilimanjaro — the water does something for tired legs that a hotel pool does not.
Including the ones with inconvenient answers. If something here reads as less reassuring than the usual glossy marketing, that is deliberate.
Because we are here. The company you book with in London or New York subcontracts the actual driving, guiding and problem-solving to someone in Arusha — usually to someone like us. Booking direct removes a margin and, more importantly, removes a layer between you and the person who can actually fix things when a road floods or a camp overbooks.
A person reads it, usually within a few hours, and replies with questions rather than a template. Once we understand what you actually want we build an itinerary with real camps and real costs, and we will tell you where your budget is not going to stretch to what you have described. No deposit is requested until you have seen the full plan in writing.
That is the main reason to book with a local agency. Every guest gets a 24-hour number that reaches a person in Arusha. We handle hospital runs, lost passports, police reports, replacement flights, and the mundane things — a chemist run, a phone repair, groceries to a lodge. It is the same network we open to volunteers, NGOs and film crews through Africa Connect.
Almost everything we run is custom. The itineraries on this site are starting points that show what is realistic in a given number of days. Tell us your dates, your budget, and the two or three things you would be disappointed to miss, and we will build around those rather than around a package.
A deposit confirms the booking and the balance is due before travel, with the exact terms in writing before you pay anything. Park fees and camp deposits are paid on to the authorities and the camps — we show you that breakdown. We do not take card payment against an indicative price; you get a firm quote first.
Not answered here? Ask us on WhatsApp — a person replies within 24 hours.
Per person, all-in for this itinerary — park fees, transfers, guiding and lodging at each tier. Final quote confirmed before you commit.
Entrance fees are the same for everyone here
≈ 179,000 TSH per person, shared
Passport from outside East Africa
Prices shown are current starting prices (November 2026). They can rise or fall with the time of year — peak season (late June–October and mid-December–February) is busier and can cost more, the long rains (April–May) and November are quieter and can cost less — and with fuel prices and government park fees. Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay anything.
We include everything by default, so there are no surprises on the day. But every inclusion is a choice, not a rule — take out what you don’t need and the price comes down.
Savings are per person for two travellers, worked out from today’s real costs. The calculator below shows your exact price.
Pickup in Arusha, lunch included. Want Moshi pickup, a different vehicle or no lunch? Use the calculator below.
Also known as: Chemka hot springs · Kikuletwa hot springs · Chemka springs · Kikuletwa springs
From $68 per person for Tanzanian and East African citizens and from $128 for international visitors, in a shared vehicle with pickup in Arusha and lunch included. Two people travelling privately pay $156 each (international) or $96 each (East African), in a Small car. The calculator on this page shows the exact price for your group, vehicle and pickup town.
about 1.5 hours drive each way from Arusha (≈75 km); about 1 hour drive each way from Moshi (≈40 km). Pickup and drop-off at your hotel is included.
Full day (about 7–9 hours door to door).
With Beast of Africa the Chemka Hot Springs entrance is $16 per person — Shaiya's special offer; book it on WhatsApp +255 702 345 991. On every guided trip on this page the entrance is already included in the price, so you pay nothing extra at the gate.
Vehicle, fuel, driver, a licensed guide, Chemka entrance, a lunch box and drinking water. Not included: tips and personal items.
Yes. East African citizens and Tanzania residents pay the local rate (from $68 per person); international visitors pay a supplement. The gate fees here are the same for everyone.
Yes. Untick "Lunch box" in the calculator and the price drops by $15 per person before service.
Options: Small car, Toyota Alphard, Land Cruiser 4x4, Toyota Coaster. Bigger groups can take a Coaster or several vehicles; the calculator works it out.
It runs all year. Dirt roads are easiest in the dry months (June–October and December–February); in the long rains (April–May) we may switch to a 4x4. Prices can rise or fall slightly with the season.
Yes. Discounts are available on every package — just ask. Message +255 702 345 991 on WhatsApp with your dates and group size; consultation is free, 24/7.
Use the calculator on this page and tap "Send this quote on WhatsApp", or message +255 702 345 991. Consultation is free, 24/7. You pay only after a written confirmation quoting your reference number.
Set your group and choices. The price is worked out from real costs — vehicle, fuel, driver, guide, entrance fees, lunch — and you can see every line. Send it to us and Shaiya confirms it personally.
Discounts are available on every package — just ask. Estimate from today's fuel and fees. Prices can rise or fall with the season (peak late June–October and mid-December–February; quieter April–May and November), fuel and park fees. Shaiya checks your quote and confirms the final price in writing, within 24 hours — the confirmed price is the price you pay. Consultation is free, 24/7.
Stay safe: our only numbers are +255 702 345 991 and +255 628 553 132. We never ask for verification codes, and never ask you to pay before you receive a written confirmation quoting your reference number.
Airport pickup or drop-off from $75 per vehicle — transfer prices.
| Vehicle | 1 person | 2 people | 4 people | 6 people | 10 people | 20 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small carInternational | $216 | $156 | $156 | $135 | $144 | $137 |
| Toyota AlphardInternational | $258 | $176 | $136 | $149 | $128 | $128 |
| Land Cruiser 4x4International | $496 | $295 | $195 | $162 | $175 | $175 |
| Toyota CoasterInternational | $403 | $249 | $172 | $146 | $126 | $110 |
| Small carEast African / resident | $156 | $96 | $96 | $75 | $84 | $77 |
| Toyota AlphardEast African / resident | $198 | $116 | $76 | $89 | $68 | $68 |
| Land Cruiser 4x4East African / resident | $436 | $235 | $135 | $102 | $115 | $115 |
| Toyota CoasterEast African / resident | $343 | $189 | $112 | $86 | $66 | $50 |
Bigger groups use more than one vehicle — the calculator above works it out. Included: Chemka entrance, vehicle, fuel, driver, licensed guide, drinking water.
Questions about dates, prices, fitness, kids, weather or anything else in Tanzania. A licensed local guide answers you personally, day or night.
You are the hero of the journey — I am the guide who helps make your dream Tanzania trip happen.
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The things people usually message to ask — answered here so you do not have to wait for a reply.
It depends how many of you there are, and the reason is simple: one vehicle, one guide and one tank of fuel cost the same whether two of you come or eight. Split further, the price each falls. Only the entrance fee is per head.
Use the group calculator above for your exact number. That figure is the price — nothing is added afterwards.
Private transport and all fuel, a licensed local guide, every park or village entrance fee including VAT, drinking water, and pickup and drop-off at your hotel.
Not included: tips — appreciated, never expected — drinks other than water, and personal items.
Nothing is added at the vehicle door. What you see is what you pay.
Usually yes, if you message tonight. Same-day depends on where you are staying and what you want to do.
Send your dates and group size on WhatsApp and you will get a straight answer — including if the answer is no.
Not on this particular trip. The entrance fee here is a community or village fee, which is the same for everyone — there is no government differential to pass on, so we do not pretend there is one.
On national park trips the saving is real and significant. Ask and we will tell you which.
A full day. Pickup from your hotel in the morning, back in the late afternoon or early evening — exact times depend where you are staying.
If you are jet-lagged or acclimatising for a climb, say so and we will tell you honestly whether it is too much.
More from my trips
Real photos, real guests · Shaiya, licensed guide · meet me
Everything below is costed into the price you see — park fees, fuel at today’s pump price, the guide, the vehicle. Nothing is added at the vehicle door.
The actual stops, in order. Distances are short — this is why the day works.
Available on request and priced when you ask — not bundled into the figure above.
These run from the same base, so combining them saves a transfer — and the per-person price drops when the vehicle is already going out.
From $128 per person. That includes transport, fuel, a licensed local guide and all entrance fees. The per-person price falls as the group grows, because the vehicle and guide cost the same whether two people come or eight.
Private 4x4 transport and fuel, a licensed local guide, all park or community entrance fees including VAT, drinking water, hotel pickup and drop-off, and government taxes. Not included: flights, visa, insurance, tips, drinks and personal items.
One full day, with pickup from your hotel in the morning and drop-off in the late afternoon. Exact times depend on where you are staying.
Year-round; quietest early morning. That said, this runs year-round and we will tell you honestly if your dates fall in a poor window rather than take the booking anyway.
Where a national park is involved, yes — Tanzania National Parks charges East African citizens a lower entrance fee than non-residents and we pass that straight through. Community-run attractions charge everyone the same, so those prices do not change. A national ID or EAC passport is checked at the gate.
Add any of these to this trip. Each is priced on its own and arranged for your group only — nothing here is bundled into the price above, and nothing is charged unless you ask for it.
Tell us your dates and we'll tailor every day. Shaiya replies personally within 24 hours.
This is your story. I am simply the guide who helps turn your dream safari and your Tanzania experience into days you will tell for the rest of your life.
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Not a checkout. We confirm real pricing and availability before anything is booked.
We are a local assistance contact, not an emergency service. In a life-threatening situation call the numbers below as well as us — and read the note about ambulances.
What's happening?
Your embassy handles lost passports and emergency travel documents. Search “[your country] embassy Tanzania” — or call us and we’ll find it and drive you there.
