After three exhilarating connecting flights and a marathon 28-hour journey, we finally touched down in Arusha—the vibrant gateway to our Tanzanian adventure!
The final leg aboard a cozy Auric Air flight from Zanzibar had us biting our nails over luggage weight limits. Miraculously, our 6kg excess slipped through unnoticed—our backpacks never even made it to the scale! The cheerful crew kept us entertained with lively banter [lol], while we marveled at breathtaking sandbar formations through the windows.
Those complimentary cashews? Absolute heaven! And nothing could prepare us for the jaw-dropping sight of Mount Meru greeting us upon landing—nature’s majestic welcome committee!
Our local guide whisked us away after baggage claim. We hit the town for essential currency exchanges and SIM cards before checking into our hotel. Lunch called for a pilgrimage to Flame Tree—the Chinese restaurant that’s got Xiaohongshu buzzing! Post-meal, we surrendered to a blissful nap, then meticulously reviewed safari plans with our guide over steaming cups of coffee.
As dusk fell, hotel dinner plates barely cleared before we collapsed into dreamland—jet lag hit us like a freight train [sigh].
Mount Meru Hotel 
This urban oasis wowed us with its sprawling gardens—we had front-row seats to both a fairytale wedding and lively school event! Imagine dining al fresco with Mount Meru’s silhouette painting the horizon—we specifically requested this view and oh, what a reward! While rooms offered standard comforts, those floor-to-ceiling windows transformed ordinary mornings into extraordinary experiences.
Its downtown location proved perfect for last-minute shopping, currency exchanges, and culinary adventures. Pro tip: Don’t miss their fall-off-the-bone pork ribs at dinner—absolute perfection!
Flame Tree Chinese Restaurant
Total: 68,000 TZS (~85 RMB pp). Prepare for food comas—portions here could feed a small village [thumbs up]! In this land of unfamiliar flavors, discovering authentic Chinese cuisine felt like striking gold. While their hotpot buffet draws crowds, we feasted on à la carte wonders—the wok-charred green beans and golden fried rice deserve standing ovations. Pair your meal with an ice-cold Kilimanjaro beer 
under swaying palms—pure culinary nirvana!
Visual feast: 
Our tiny sky chariot / Azure waters embracing pristine sandbars / Mount Meru’s snow-capped grandeur / Hotel windows framing postcard-perfect views / Purple jacaranda petals carpeting romantic pathways / 
Clinking frosty beers with grins wider than the Serengeti / A doe-eyed feline food critic working her charms / The hotel’s botanical wonderland—a photographer’s dream / Dinner highlights: succulent ribs, crisp greens, and lunch’s fried rice encore (still superstar quality) / That fierce sansevieria “tiger” partition—jungle vibes indoors!
