A solar-powered pearl on the Moshono hillside.
A boutique hotel and home-stay housing five kilometres from Arusha, blending African and Mediterranean design - and a calm base for the wild north of Tanzania.
architecture
Where we are, and what we are.
Five kilometres east of Arusha city centre, Moshono Hillside sits on a hillside plot with wide views over the skyline and landscape of eastern Arusha - the calm, comfortable base you return to after big days in the parks.
On the plot you'll find a main hotel building, hotel apartment buildings and a Home Stay House. Whitewashed walls, warm stone and open light blend African and Mediterranean design into something quietly its own. The rooftop looks straight out to Mount Meru, and the road to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Kilimanjaro starts right at the gate.
A family welcome on the hill.
Karibu sana - you are very welcome. Moshono Hillside began as a family project between two married couples: four people from Africa, Europe and Asia who came together around a shared idea of what a good place to stay could be.
Bringing different cultures under one roof led to some inspiring conversations about values, and about the basic human needs of a world where a lack of equality creates so many challenges. Out of those conversations we agreed on a simple commitment: to run the hotel with integrity and transparency, and to make sure the project genuinely benefits our team and the community around us.
We designed the hotel to be a safe, welcoming base - a "heaven" from which to explore Arusha and some of the world's most spectacular wildlife parks and mountains - while treading lightly on the hillside it sits on.
Our guiding principles.
We want our project to benefit our people and our neighbours - so we hold ourselves to three simple values.
Equality
Every guest, team member and neighbour is treated fairly - a family built on respect across cultures.
Integrity
We do what we say and hold ourselves to it - honesty in every part of how we run the hotel.
Transparency
We keep our affairs open, so our team and community can trust how the project works.
Built to run on the sun.
Africa holds around 40% of the world's potential for solar power, yet only a sliver of its installed capacity. We want to be a small part of changing that - so Moshono Hillside is built to run on the sun.
Every room and apartment has solar-heated water, and three solar-electricity systems - some 80 kW in total - power the property through the day, with the goal of becoming fully self-sufficient. Beyond the rooms, we run volunteer and internship programs and welcome long-stay guests who want to give back to the Moshono community.
Meet the founders.
A family from three continents, brought together on a hillside above Arusha.
A Tanzanian from the Kilimanjaro region, Tumaini moved to Arusha as a young woman - first managing a beauty salon, then founding Empire Sport Bar, which she ran for 14 years and made a well-loved spot for food, drinks and live music.
A Norwegian civil engineer with more than 40 years of international experience - 35 of them in Tanzania - across structural engineering, construction project management, logistics and procurement in development and aid work.
A Filipina with formal culinary training and 20 years in hospitality across the Philippines and Denmark - most recently as an assistant leader in the Danish branch of an international catering company.
A Norwegian who spent much of his life in Denmark, Tor is a master-accredited coach with a master's in management and organizational development, author of three academic books and founder of well-known Danish rehabilitation centres.
Moshono Hillside seamlessly blends African and Mediterranean styles into a truly captivating place of its own.Nakaaya SumariArtist & Producer
Stay on the hill.
Rooms, apartments and long stays - book directly with the hotel for the best rate.
