Life is a banana

This place is really special. Ive stayed in lodges all over Tanzania and this is one of my favorites by far. Beauitful setting, great atmosphere and you can tell the employees really care about providing a good service. The food is basic but very tasty and fresh, all grown on the farm. They even have homemade honey and really delicious coffee. Great value all around. I also loved socializing with fellow travelers and enjoying local beers at a local price vs the inflated tourist rates elsewhere. Its a bit far from town, I'd recommend using bolt for transport to get the best price. To me this is the place to go to rest and relax not activities in town, however they have plenty of activities they can arrange in the area if thats what you're looking for. I wouldnt hesitate to return!

Honestly the best Hostel I've stayed at so far. The staff members are amazing, the rooms are clean, modern and comfy. The farm is a great and well-kept place, where you can learn a lot about the farming, the plants and fruits and how biogas plants work. The farm is using 100% renewable energy resources too. The food is amazing too, a dinner only costs 5$ per person, breakfast is included. The entire communal area is gorgeous, with places to hang out and relax everywhere. They light a campfire every night and the whole atmosphere just invites you to sit down, relax and talk to the other guests and enjoy your time.

Beautiful place with nice staff, good food and everything you need. If you are looking for accommodation before you go on your safari trip or just looking to take a rest in Tanzanian village instead of the city, this place is for you. They have their own fruits and food products such as coffee and jam (you can buy a jar at the tavern). Reasonably priced and definitely worth the buck. We were group of 8 and we all loved the place! If I ever come back to Arusha, I will definitely stay here!

I'd the worst experience. I booked for 2 nights, then drove 600km to get there, when I got there my booking was canceled, and they didn't provide any reasonable explanation and not even bother to find me an alternative. It was very upsetting. I think it has something when they saw me being a local, then decided to cancel. They is a possibility they discourage locals to stay there

It's excellent! It's not luxury but the people are very polite! They gave at the end of the stay even coffee from their farm. I recommend people to try it

Arriving at the Banana Farm was like coming home to family. Everybody was extremely helpful and so very nice. Godwin helped us organise all of our tours and safari's in Arusha and also assisted with our next trips. His knowledge was really phenomenal and he really looked for what you wanted to do, not what "every tourist" wants to do. We had a great time and would recommend this to everybody backpacking through Tanzania!

Probably the best hostel experience /price I ever had.

Stayed for a night prior to the beginning of our safari. What an adorable place. A short walk down the banana farm will take you inside the forest which gives an incredible view of the mountains. The owner is very welcoming. The food we had was delicious and I had a great sleep ! Also, the bonfire close to the small bar is great for enjoying the evening.

Super cozy place with a relaxing atmosphere and friendly staff! Came there without any expectation and got so positively surprised. They offer you nice and clean rooms for super cheap prices, free Bananas at any time. Coffee can also be requested with is there own production. Small tours around the huge property are done every day and they have so nice plans for new extensions. Lunch and dinner can be requested if you like for 5$ per Meal. Wi-Fi is stable and emergency lights are in each room as the regular power supply is sometimes shut down over the day. So just relax there and enjoy the life with friendly and open minded people. Bar is well equipped and food is super tasty and freshly done.

This is the best eco hostel, I think. Location is slightly far from the city center, but it's located in the plantation, so you can feel rich nature. The room and service are very nice, every staff is kind. If you like camping or sustainable trips, you would love here.

At first, arriving to this hostel can be a bit unpleasant, very different from every hostel. Although the food and the atmosphere are nice, you can feel a tiny bit disappointed in the first days. But then comes all the rest:this hostel is eye opening on what of a treasure nature is. I highly recommend it. You should all take the time to visit the farm with Godwin, he will explain to you everything about the local plants and his view and solutions to climate change. Enjoy

It was a really nice experience for us to stay at the banana farm eco hostel. They were really friendly and welcoming. Unfortunately we couldn't meet Godwin in person but Augustino (his replacement at the moment :) was lovely and friendly. Veronica's meals Denis' helpfulness are worth to mention. Additionally spending time at the garden was a perfect opportunity to socialize with others, from all around the world. If we will go to Arusha again we would definitely stay there.

Really Nice, cozy place in the middle of bananas plantations. Wits lots of motivations quotes ans nice corners, where you can relax or hang with others. A bit remote from Arusha city, but depend on what you wish-you need a transport. For us it was ok. You can order a dinner for 5$ [soup, main meal, dessert]-delicious. Rooms are spacious and clean. Wifi is bad in the rooms - probably depends on how near the central place your room is. We liked it. They also offer trips.

Truly eco, truly local, truly amazing! Everything was great in our stay here, from preparing coffee, to having cooking classes with amazing Veronika and milking cows. I also highly recommend to book your Mount Kilimangiaro / Meru hike through them! One of the best experiences of my life. Thanks to our wonderful guide Nickson, delicious food from Jemse and the politeness of the porters Habib & Jacob. It’s a massive YES for me :)

(Translated by Google) The hostel is just great. There is a great breakfast every morning and with an extra charge you can get lunch and dinner too. They always cook fresh and with vegetables from their own garden. We also got a small tour of their banana farm and coffee farm. You can relax here and meet nice people. Which was not a problem for us but maybe some might bother that hostel is a bit out of the way but can be reached quickly with a Daladala or taxi. (Original) Das Hostel ist einfach super. Es gibt jeden Morgen ein klasse Frühstück und mit Aufpreis kann man Mittag und Abendessen auch bekommen. Sie kochen immer frisch und mit Gemüse aus dem eigenen Garten. Wir bekamen auch eine kleine Führung durch ihre Bananenfarm und Kaffeefarm. Man kann hier super entspannen und nette Leute kennen lernen. Was für uns gar kein Problem war aber vielleicht manche stören könnte, dass Hostel liegt etwas außerhalb aber ist schnell mit einem Daladala oder Taxi zu erreichen.

Very good place! Highly recommended. The farm tour they offer is very cool and their food is delicious!

(Translated by Google) A wonderful place to relax (individual days, beautiful shady garden, hammocks) and carefully get to know life on the farm (several days). Everyone who works on the farm embodies the same goal: to let guests participate in their lives and actions. The basic idea of ​​sustainability and involving the people in the village is great. The food is wonderful. We would have loved to stay longer and can only recommend this farm! (Original) Ein wunderbarer Ort um sich zu entspannen (einzelne Tage, schöner schattiger Garten, Hängematten) und behutsam das Leben auf der Farm kennenzulernen (mehrere Tage). Alle die auf der Farm arbeiten verkörpern das gleiche Ziel: Gäste an ihrem Leben und Tun teilhaben zu lassen. Die Grundideen von Nachhaltigkeit und Einbeziehung der Menschen im Dorf ist klasse. Das Essen ist wunderbar. Wir wären gerne länger geblieben und können diese Farm nur empfehlen!

This farmstay is a peacefull tanzanian heaven. We stayed in a "barn" cabin which was brand new, spotlesly clean and we felt like home there imediatelly! Everyday activities like farm tours (really must do!), walking by ourselves around farm and to the waterfalls, movie nights (watch lion king in africa stays in your memory for long time), amazing views of nature all around, cows feeding, free bananas picking, cooking/painting classes.. you just cannot get bored here! And if you get then there are so many great places to just rest and chill :) You can buy local beers or souvenirs here for great price - especially beautiful paintings. The view of Mt. Meru takes your breath away during sunset time and you can enjoy free breakfast and coffee anytime you like. Lunch and dinner are for extra price but it is only 5 dollars and you get a nice choice of mostly veggie local foods. The soups here are amazing! However, sometimes during shared dinner time it was not enough food to get really full when more people arrived. This place started like a small homestay/hostel, but now it grows every day - they are building many new self-sustainable cabins with amazing river/nature views. We got the cabin cleaned once during the 4 night stay, which was also very nice. You will not regret to come here and get to know this place and its amazing stuff, find out how self-independent this place is and just help to grow this place up :)

I appreciate their service, It was nice dinning with them!! I cannot recommend from their menu since everything they have is delicious!! Good service!!!

Banana farm is an eco hostel. There is cows, cat and goat on the property. You can walk in the area close to the river. Rooms are clean and large and provide private bathrooms. The welcoming is perfect. Food is delicious and local, and it is a pleasure to dinner with others guests. The host will help you to organize every trip you want.

Probably one of the coolest hostels in the world. Unlimited free bananas, nightly fires next to the cute little bar, and tasty buffet dinners avaliable for $5. Virtually everything you consume here is from the farm, even the coffee. They also run their own safari and hiking at competitive prices, it's best to message a few days in advance if you want these arranged for you.

Great hostel that provides an amazing atmosphere for a good price. They give farm tours och coffee tours. You can buy paintings from a local artist and enjoy a cold beer from their bar around the fireplace they light every night. Recommend to book their tours to the nearby waterfalls. They also can arrange trips to the hotsprings and waterfall near Moshi.

Cool place, good meals, great price. Just a little far from town on a rough dirt road. Cool atmosphere. Very family run business. Local family living on site.

Me and my sister had the most amazing experience at Banana Farm! Veronica was great: during the day she was always available around the hostel, while in the morning and evening we would always find her in the kitchen preparing some delicious local food made only with what was available at the farm. Do yourself a favour and do as many activities as you can: cow milking, coffee making, cooking lessons, etc.! We also decided to book our Mount Meru hiking trip through Banana Farm and well... best decision EVER! Nicki is the best guide you can wish for: patient, funny and passionate. Having him around was calming and reassuring. Our chef James was the cool guy everyone wants to meet! You would not see him around much but only because he was busy preparing some of the best dishes in Tanzania! Nicki and James, together with the porters, made us feel as if we were all part of a big family which, trust me, is difficult to let go when the trip is over. The one week we spent in Arusha was one of the best of my entire life, thanks!

We were very happy with the service of the eco banana hostel. They offer good price-quality Safari and Mount meru trekking. Special Thanks to Nickson (our guide at mount meru), he was so patient, kind and helpfull. We will never forget this trip!

So nice, quiet, friendly place..! I feel so happy here!! I want to stay more days...I m here for 3 weeks and I am at home!!!! Banana Farm is amazing. Veronica, the manager and cooker is the best!! Olivia so sweet and friendly.. I m at home here!!!! Visit Bsnana Farm if yo like pole pole life. Hakuna Matata. Excellent place to be happy and rest and share nice talks and moments.

Wonderful piece of paradise! A bit outside of Arusha, so you have a peaceful night and stunning view. They show you around the banana farm and you will gather so much knowledge about agriculture, farming and plants! The staff is lovely! The price (12$ pp including delicious breakfast in a single room with hot shower) is absolutely worth it. In the morning you are served homegrown coffee!! Everything is created and decorated with love and passion!

One of the cuttiest hostel I've ever seen. Definitely suggested, big and clean rooms, friendly stuff and free bananas

Secluded place just outside of Arusha. The staff is really friendly, the rooms are very clean and have a design that will please every Hipster lol The food is amazing (straight from their own garden). Ditch the other places and stay here!

A wonderful place with a lot of love to details and a lot of efforts to make everyone’s time at the farm a unique and great experience! The hostel is perfectly located in a beautiful banana farm area of the Chagga tribes (known for banana farming). Wonderful hike trails along a lush river just behind the property led us to a beautiful waterfall without a guide needed. Even though the friendly staff is happy to help with various tours and tips to explore the area further. Breakfast was great and especially the dinner and long evenings at the garden bar sitting by the fire and drinking banana beer was our favourite way to end a wonderful day outside of the city traffic of Arusha. The rooms where as well, lovely and spacious and we immediately felt being home. I highly recommend to stay or at least swing by the banana farm for a beer and dinner if you can!🙂🥰🤗

Spent two nights in the farm - it was too short unfortunately: many cute animals, bananas and other plants. Did the farm tour, during which we roasted coffee by ourselves. Even booked my safari tour through the hostel, price is totally fair and our guide was excellent. Arusha is approx. 30min the Dala-Dala. Employees are super friendly and helpful.

Had a wonderful 3 day stay in a small and clean room with hotwater and mosquito net. Regina made our and all the guests stay extra nice with her cheerfull and helpfull manners. Since dinners are togheter with the other guests you have the opportunity to learn new people and get tips on Tanzania and other destinations. Nighttime you sit together around the bondfire drinking something you can by in the bar. We did a 3 hour cookingclass that was great, I can not wait to do chapati, samosa, ugali and more stuff when I get home. Since you live out in the forets there are many beautiful walks and spots to discover. The staff really take of you, suddenly the manager comes a long with a bowl of fruitsallad, bananas are available 24-7. This place is exellenta if you are travelling on a budget, we been to fare more expensive places in Tanzania that do not deliver as good standard as Banana farm. But most of all we enjoyed the feeling of being home, thanks a lot to Regina and the staff,

+ it is a great, peaceful place to hang out. A little oasis of calm. + the stuff is very friendly and helpful. + free bananas and free filtered water. + little campfire in the evening. Usually nice other travellers. + the New Year's Eve Party was just amazing! Asante sana! - some rooms are a bit nosy, the wooden walls are very thin. - the prices for add ons are quite expensive, especially when your target group are backpackers. For example: -fare prices to the airport are more than double (!) as you find on the street or using bolt/ uber. -Renting a bicycle is $15 per day. Just crazy high rates! - there is not much to do in the area you can do for free (except of the free farm tour). You need to pay for everything high rates. You need an expensive guide for even small hiking tours. We tried to explore the area by ourselves and walked up the main road. We found the waterfall Mount Kivesi on Google maps just off the main road. We ended up in a massive SCAM. DON'T GO THERE. It's not worth the hassle! (for more information read comments there). So if you stay for too long you might be bored because there is not much to do by yourself or you need to pay a lot extra...

Love the concept of this place, everything is sourced locally and you are encouraged to get involved with the daily running of the facility. Warm smiles all around.

Well done. I stayed in of their recently constructed private rooms a little outside the complex and was very happy. Probably 20min to Arusha center. Social area is a big plus!

Had a wonderful stay here. Regina was a super kind and attentive host. Would stay again without hesitation. We particularly enjoyed the dinner that was provided and loved the general vibe of the place.

Such a special and lovely place to stay. Good rooms, great food, and staff happy to help with everything. Helpful location for access to Arusha, Kilimanjaro Airport, and local nature spots.

Nice and quiet with fantastic staff.

Cool place to stay

(Translated by Google) Home atmosphere. Delicious local food. Fruit salads, as many bananas as you want. I'm coming back to this place again (Original) Atmosfera domowa. Jedzenie pyszne lokalne. Salatki z owocow, banany ile sie chce. Ponownie wracam w to miejsce

(Translated by Google) Clean and cozy place Good value for money Veronica makes delicious food from all kinds of bananas 👌🏻 (Original) מקום נקי ונעים תמורה טובה למחיר ורוניקה עושה אוכל טעים מכל סוגי הבננות 👌🏻

nice

Amazing place, super nice staff

This place is unreal! Gorgeous accomodation and the best service ever. Thank you Godwin and Veronica for being so kind and helpful. Also, we got the best tour around the banana plantation with all the local vegetation and biofarming tricks and an amazing inside look on the Masai way of life with Osoligi. Thank you and we will be back.

(Translated by Google) Best hostel in Arusha (Original) Best hostelbin Arusha

Mrs. Veronica has been an amazing host, she arrange everything you need, help you organize a day trips and her soup and other foods was always delicious.

I highly recommend staying for a few days here! It is a lovely space outside of Arusha town. Veronica makes sure you are taken care of and well fed! We stayed with our 2 kids for 4 nights and everyone enjoyed. The farm tour was wonderful with Augustino, not to be missed! The hot showers, fire pit and hammocks were all great. Thanks to Veronica and Godwin for a memorable time in Arusha.

Super friendly and cosy place, very good price on dorms, food and drinks, Host is super trustworthy, we felt very welcomed by everyone and has a lovely garden and fire pit. 100% recomended

Amazing place, friendly lovely people and beautiful setting.

Amazing place for chilling tell stories look at the stars In night

Nice. Warm and friendly staff. Highly recommended

Lovely people, good food, clean facilities!

This farm is an amazing place. We came here to spend about a week originally, but we ended up staying for roughly twenty days. The common area makes it such a nice place, you share meals there with others (while you have your own room to be alone, if need be) and there is a fire pit aswel. The food is always pretty good with fruit included, always! The breakfast is plentiful and during the day you get fruits, chips and unlimited coffee and tea. Outside you also can get free bananas. The owner is a really busy man, but he makes time for a free tour, which I really recommend. He built his own system to create bio gas and the farm is just an interesting place with banana honey and a beautiful river rather close by. 10/10 would recommend to any traveller! You meet a lot of people to share stories with and the staff is so helpful and would go out of their way to make you feel comfortable.

The host is friendly and I enjoyed my stay at the hostel as other guests were cordial and easy to get along with

Rooms are not bad but all night sound of Electric pump near room window. And breakfast is the worst in Tanzania with no fruit and we are on banana farm.

(Translated by Google) Super nice place with very friendly staff and a fantastic breakfast. In the evening a campfire and cozy seats outside and covered. Nice (free) tour of the eco farm by a Massai who has a lot of knowledge of plants. You sleep in cozy wooden huts. All very well cared for. (Original) Superleuke plek met zeer vriendelijk personeel en een fantastisch ontbijt. ''s Avonds een kampvuur een gezellige zitjes buiten en overdekt. Mooie (gratis) rondleiding over de eco farm door een Massai die veel kennis van planten heeft. Je slaapt in knusse houten hutten. Erg verzorgd allemaal.

For what you get for the price it’s amazing. Godwin will find you tours and transfers on the spot and James will cook you wonderful food in the morning and at night. You really can’t go wrong while staying in Arusha. The road back to the property is rough, but that’s outside of their control. The beds are a little small for tall persons but again, it’s $10/a night. Great stay and recommend highly!

Cozy and nice , the only thing I do not like that my room located in front of the caw :)

Even if it's far from Arusha city, this amazing place give you the chance to sleep in a Banana farm. Relax and big breakfast

(Translated by Google) In nature (Original) Nella natura

Perfect

(Translated by Google) We were very well received (with a smoothie made with fruit from the garden) and had dinner with the other visitors. $ 5 per person for dinner, everything is homemade, it's delicious. The rooms are very clean and well decorated. The place is really warm. There is hot water. The homemade breakfast is majestic :) We toured the farm's banana and coffee plantations with Augustino, a lovely person who took the time to answer all of our questions. MIRAL, the boss of the place, explained to us his story and how he set up his BioGaz system by recycling the urine and stools of the cows that live on the farm. It was a moment of peace, discovery and sharing. We recommend this place with great enthusiasm !!! (Original) Nous avons été très bien reçu (avec un smoothie composé des fruits du jardin) et avons dîné en compagnie des autres visiteurs. 5$ par personne pour dîner, tout est fait maison c'est délicieux. Les chambres sont très propres et bien décorées. Le lieu est vraiment chaleureux. Il y a de l'eau chaude. Le petit-déjeuner fait maison est majestueux :) Nous avons visité les plantations de bananes et de café de la ferme avec Augustino, une personne adorable qui a pris le temps de répondre à toutes nos questions. MIRAL le boss des lieux nous a expliqué son histoire et comment il a mis en place son système de BioGaz en recyclant l'urine et les selles des vaches qui habitent à la ferme. C'était un moment de paix, de découverte et de partage. Nous vous recommandons ce lieu avec beaucoup d'enthousiasme !!!

(Translated by Google) Fantastic! Great experience to meet Godwin, Veronica and family. His work, confidence and affection give energy to continue life with joy. Asante (Original) Fantastico! Gran experiencia conocer a Godwin, Veronica y familia. Su trabajo, confianza y cariño dan energia para continuar la vida con alegria. Asante

(Translated by Google) The place is fine, comfortable, nice and the staff is very helpful. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the English with which they speak to you and some do not speak it. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Arusha or rest from the long safaris it is ideal. On the contrary, if you want to continue knowing other places you will encounter the problem that is far from the road and it is not possible to leave on foot, it is necessary to bring a vehicle or request a taxi service. Neither is Arusha near, so consider this if you stay. The food and drink is accessible but the beer ends soon for how cheap it is is 1500 shillings (about 15/18 pesos). (Original) El lugar está bien, cómodo, agradable y el personal es muy servicial. En ocasiones es complicado entender el inglés con el que te hablan y algunos no lo hablan. Si te quieres alejar del ajetreo de Arusha o descansar de los largos safaris es ideal. Por el contrario, si quieres continuar conociendo otros lugares te encontrarás con el problema que está alejado de la carretera y no es posible salir a pie, necesario traer vehículo o pedir un servicio de taxi. Tampoco está cerca Arusha, así que considera esto si te quedas. La comida y bebida es accesible pero la cerveza se termina pronto por lo barata que es es 1500 chelines (más o menos 15/18 pesos).

I recommend this hostel accommodation. Possibility to book safari of different national parks for a good price. They offer a free tour of the farm and their ecosystem. In short, friendly for all types of travelers. Hanging out at the fire is highly recommended! 10/10

Local in remote area suitable for volunterers

Good

Was difficult to find the place

The surroundings of the place are very nice. You can walk to nearby waterfalls. I recommend to stay there. You have to book early because it is always booked out.

As a local, I was anticipating to bring my family to this farm hostel during the holiday season. When I called their number and spoke with Godwin, he suggested I text him on Whatsapp with the dates I intended to visit. I waited patiently for his response to see if there was availability for our families...the first day passed with no replies, the second day I reminded Godwin and received no response...the third day --- I realised perhaps the location isn't designated for locals...

We stayed at one of the Barn Cabins which is located right in the middle of the banana plantation - lush green all around us. We initially planned on staying 3 nights but then extended our stay for 2 more nights, we didn’t want to leave. Staff was very helpful and welcoming, food‘s lovely and the whole property a real gem. The special attention to sustainability an extra plus. Loved everything about this place.