David Crater Homestay

Very nice stay at David Crater Homestay. We had 3 nights there and it was an excellent experience. The rooms are quite big, the buildings are unique, the service for breakfast and dinner is very friendly and supporting with everything, the food is very good and much enough for good eaters. David is a very good guestfather, he is there for every question and we enjoyed very much to stay with him every evening on the woodfireplace with a lot of time to talk about everything. If necessary, he can arrange good guided tours in the area of Lushoto/Usumbara. But, and this was for us really great, he don't refuse if someone wants to go alone (like the hike to the famous viewpoints Irente or Yogoi/Java). It's one of the rare places in Tanzania, where you can go without a guide.

We had three wonderful days in David's lodge. the rooms are very nice and you always have the smell of eucalyptus-wood (floor, bed, doors). His Family and the stuff is very friendly an helpfull. Evening dinner costs $10 per person, but the food tastes wonderful and is worth the money. David picked us up from the bus station when we arrived and organized our onward journey by bus and ferry to Zanzibar. everything worked perfectly! With our guide Richard, we went on a guided hike to waterfalls and viewpoints through hidden hiking trails over two days and learned a lot about the healing effects of plants. Thanks a lot for everything. Flo, Katrin, Sophia and Luis

PROS: Rooms are very clean and cozy with nice bathroom, equipped in a "european" style. The overall compound is very nice and relaxing, with lots of vegetation. We spotted monkeys, chameleons and some birds in the garden. There is a common patio with a fireplace where every evening the staff made a fire. They offer great homemade meals. The breakfast was included in the price and contained a good variety of food (eggs, pancakes, homed jams, fruits...) You can also buy lunch or dinner - for $8 you get the whole menu including soup, salad, fruits. Very big portions. Ideal after a whole-day hike. Also the staff was very friendly. We met David only few times as he was busy working out of town, but we had a great chat with him and got some good tips for our hikes. There were also David's nephews, who were always present and were very friendly and helpful. CONS: If you arrive in Lushoto town and want to get there by foot, you have to walk a steep hill. It's quite a journey, but it is walkable. You can hire a motorbike to get you there, if you are brave enough. If the weather outside is cold (which in these mountains usually is), the rooms are cold as well as there is no heating. Also in our room, the air was very humid and had a bit of a "moldy" smell (there actually was no mold at all, I guess its just from the moisture in the walls). As the homestay is located up on the hill, we were hoping for a nice view in the valley, which unfortunately is not the case due to the high trees surrounding the place.

It's a beautiful place. David brought us and dropped us from the bus station. We spend there one week and a half, for working and a bit traveling. It was not strong wi-fi and it was not allowed to use Netflix and YouTube because he use sim card to charge his wifi (which was a bit strange comparing for the price we were paying for the room). The breakfast was included and it was nice. The staff and his wife were very kind. The room was very expensive for us and also the dinner, so instead, David offered us to use the kitchen, and in exchange for that, you need to pay money for using the gas in the kitchen. 1 dollar per day. Most of the time, there was a problem with the shower, and it was hard. For us it was not the most successful week as we expected, but this place has a lot of potential.