Name: Wakawaka Hostel
Address: Fire Road Arusha,Fire Road, Arusha, Arusha, Arusha, not available, Tanzania
Rating: 9

24-hour reception

Garden

Terrace

General

Locker

Shower

Mosquito net

Toiletries

Rooms

Ironing

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Dry-cleaning

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Diet menu (on request)

Common kitchen

Restaurant (buffet style)

Snack bar

Packed Lunches

Meals

Internet access

Internet

Airport transportation

Car rental

Transfer services

Transfer

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Library

Bike rental

Barbecue grill(s)

Billiards

Mini golf

Hiking

Fishing

Sun Deck

Recreation

Offsite parking reservations required

Parking

Water park

Pool and beach

Darts

Cycling

Sports

Massage

Beauty and wellness

Pets allowed

Pets

Location

At the hostel

Room amenities

Arusha Airport

Lake Manyara Airport

Kilimanjaro International Airport

Wakawaka Hostel

Arusha

David and Victoria were the best hosts. They are very kind and caring people. They are really trying to make this place feel like home. I enjoyed coming back multiple times after trips around Arusha. They also helped organizing my further travels. There are also some volunteers living there. Victoria cooks breakfast for the guests and also a dinner for the volunteers, which I was invited some times. Even though I booked a dorm bed, I got my own room with a double bed and bathroom. The property is a 20 min walk from the city center, the last 5 min being a dirt road, which bold unfortunately doesn’t recognize as a pick up place. 
WiFi is working well in the common area. 
Best not to book via booking.com since there are 4€ hidden costs (including 2€ towel fee)


Family-like Hostel 

There is a hostel and a kind of hotel by the same name and run by the same company. Coming to Arusha you would want to make sure your driver knows the right direction.
We stayed at Waka House on Fire Rd, which felt like a b&b or home-stay. It's located in a calm and green neighbourhood within walking distance from downtown. Or room was very spacious and came with bathtub (currently broken), shower with hot water and good WiFi. There was a large and cosy living-room and a kitchen, where the sympathetic Neme prepared delicious Spanish omelettes for us. We all had breakfast at the same large table. 
James is a super-friendly receptionist who provided us with a warm welcome, lot's of valuable recommendations and who brought us in touch with the guys from SD Safaris who took us on an exciting 2-day safari to Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. 
We were happy with our stay and can recommend it to all backpackers and budget travellers who appreciate getting in touch with locals.
The company behind the hostel, Wakawaka House and the SD safaris is primarily engaged in social development, so in the best of cases your reservations contributes to a good cause.

Nice B&B with friendly stuff and great tours

Highly recommend AVOIDING booking any Safaris through these guys.  David is nice, friendly, and very "cool" on the surface but in the end he's a glorified middle man who cares more about the $$ than any customer experience.  First red flag is that he asks for a very high "deposit" without any receipt upfront. We were short on time so decided to go with it.  After meeting some other people on a tour we called back same day (around 4 hrs after giving deposit) to change our reservation and David through a fit - he made up nonsense that the trip was already paid for (even though it wasn't for another 4 days) and refused to work with us at all on a resolution.  Later we found out that David just works with other groups in town to stuff safari cars full of people and under pays the actual guides and porters to maximize profits off the top. We were very lucky to get away and not do the safari through here.  All in all, there are hundreds of groups in town that will give you a better experience on your treks.

Avoid Booking Tours Through These Guys

I had a great 2 night stay after a safari trip. Eddie, David and the crew (and the two huge doggos!) were awesome.

Private and clean room, OK breakfast, plenty of hot water (turn them on 20 mins in advance) and good wifi.

The location is very central.

Excellent hostel for Mzungus

When we arrived, the room that we booked was already occupied by other people. They gave us a dirty dark room with a shared bathroom. They were aggresive and threatened us to kick us out of the hotel late at night. Worst experience of my travel.

Dangerous place and not honest people

I stayed here several nights and really enjoyed the company of the staff.  Helga and the rest were very accommodating, friendly  and helpful.  The location is good, it is along a small river and the sounds of the water are very soothing in the mornings and after the traffic quiets down in the evening.  Some birdlife is here if you are interested in seeing them.  Mt. Meru shines in the morning if the cloud cover isn't covering it.  The negatives were lack of maintenance on the place, water leaks, sporadic wifi, some light bulbs missing, lack of a doorbell, necessitating banging on the gate and yelling for someone to come open the door.  All of course can be easily fixed.  The pool table in the garden is a nice touch!  We played several games.  There is a restaurant here, but the chef wasn't so food other than breakfast was unavailable.

Nice hostel, could use some maintenance, but very comfortable

The hostel has a nice garden and it is very quiet but you are in the city center within 5min walk.
It was clean, cozy and the hostel provided mosquito nets. We always had hot water.
The food tasted really good and the prizes are fair but if you want to eat outside the manager David and his staff give you all the information you need.
I even booked my safari at the hostel which I felt really comfortable doing cause you feel safe and David talks truthfully with you.
They really supported us to fulfill all our wishes during the stay.

Perfect stay for everyone

I stayed here before and after going on safari. It's an extremely well run hostel. The manager, David, and the staff are very helpful, organised and able. It has a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Comfortable dorm rooms. Good food. I will definitely stay here the next time I go on safari in Tanzania. Top marks!

Fantastic Hostel

Everything about the facilities is top notch but the staff take it to the top level, its a cliche but it really felt like home. Asu was so kind and took us out to places we'd never have found without him, some truly memorable nights out and fantastic company! David who runs the place is also so hands on and goes above and beyond, he even topped my phone up from his when I was out of credit, and parties with us on NYE (and had a great bbq in the garden), and Ferdinand makes the best food I've had in Tanzania, he loves to cook with a passion and even waits expectantly while you try it, he was so sweet!i don't know the names of the women who worked there as their English wasn't so good but the rooms were always spotless (and did my laundry) and shared photos of their children. It really felt like home and I wish I'd stayed longer, if you read this (Asu, David and Ferdinand) you're welcome to visit and stay at mine in Barcelona! :)

Kazz

Best hostel ever!

I really enjoyed my time at Wakawaka and all the team (David, Youssef and Nora) so everything to make you comfortable, at ease and at home.
The place is clean (common area, common bathroom and dormitory). There is not a fan but it was okay, it didn’t annoy me more than that. The closet in the dormitory were not working. I was alone in it so it was okay, I would suggest to verify them.
The breakfast was simple and good. David, the manager is always waiting for some guests to wake up and have his breakfast with them. I found that a good way to start your day. There is no cooking for lunch or dinner but they can order for you.

Wakawaka Hostel

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