Like the few of us in Arusha, I find driving the Moshi highway a bit of a chore these days; it is getting busy by the day. The traffic seems to be adding up in Arusha and Moshi very quickly and this road serves the majority.

When my friend suggested that we get in the car and go on a 'road trip' to Marangu to hang around for the day, I was a little apprehensive. But, keen to show I'm the friend indeed, I agreed.

That said, having been as far as Moshi a couple of years ago on countless visits in the past, I was keen to go that extra mile and experience the town of Mount Kilimanjaro, Marangu [Morang' as it is known by the locals] - not just its plush mountainous vegetation and waterfalls.

After packing up the car and checking the tyre pressure and oil levels (a must-do I was told before heading on a long trip) we hit the road with our destination in mind. My friend loves long drives - as long as he is not a passenger, I let him be the master of our premier trip.

For me, I was going to Marangu on a return visit having been there in the full last quarter of 2006, but my friend who had just come from his UN posting in Zimbabwe was keen and eager to see what Marangu has to offer since his last visit nearly five years ago.

As we drove on, I sat to read a number of papers, safe in the knowledge that the next two and a half-hours would pass by peacefully, as my friend enjoyed some gospel songs from the CD player.

The only part on the busy Moshi to Dar es Salaam highway is where you bump in a police checkpoint just through Kilimanjaro International Airport junction, before a small-town of Boma ya Ng'ombe. It can get tricky, at the police checkpoint, often and it is imperative that you park the car, get out and meet the police on duty for some explanations when asked to comply.

Otherwise, once you hit the road onwards to Kwa Sadala, some few kilometres down the road, is where you expect another checkpoint. On a day of our travel it happened to be a market day and my friend suggested that we get a glimpse of the market, potentially ruining our mood for a straight shot to Marangu.

We stopped by and walked around to see the goods being offered for sale. "It is all different what I see here and what my eyes were used to see in Harare. Literally there is no much farm produce in the markets over there and what I see here is stunning," my friend said as we drove ahead.

Once after the Machame junction, it's a pretty straightforward drive to Maili sita and so straight to the "Mo Town" as it is popularly known by its elite class. However, It's not the most exciting drive, especially when you reach the Kibo Match factory area the empty road suddenly becomes busy - making it almost worth the slow-drive just to have a bit of space while driving.

Having suffered in silence, with no big arguments and the traveling mood still on track, it was a joy to finally reach Moshi, the headquarters of the Kilimanjaro region.

With the Mount Kilimanjaro dominating the backdrop, we drove on passing through the YMCA round about on to Kiborloni. This is a bustling market place, especially between the morning hours and evening when everything closes.

A drive through Uchira is great passing during the day and if your time allows you can stop by to find a restaurant or café of your choice. A cup of tea in one of these cosy street side establishments costs a mere 200 shillings. Considering the market price of between 1500 shillings and 2000 shillings in Arusha, it's definitely great value for money.

About ten minutes from Uchira through the winding road we passed through Mabungo and on to the weighbridge at Himo Njia Panda. The place is always busy with coaches plying from Arusha or Moshi to Tanga, Morogoro, Dodoma, Mbeya and Dar es salaam, all need be weighed and allowed to continue if the comply with the requirement.

Our drive took us through Himo, a small-town, where two roads: one leading towards Marangu emerges and another connecting with a border town with Kenya, Holili. It became even cooler as we moved up to Marangu, passing through a few villages on the way, including some secondary and primary schools.

And having survived a three-hour trip in the car we stopped briefly at Marangu hotel, where we planned to stretch out and eat our late lunch. The lush green gardens at the hotel provided a perfect seating in the grass. Guests can walk around the hotel premises to learn of the varied types of trees dotting the place and weaving through the neighbourhood. The staff goes out of their way to be friendly and helpful without going over the top.

Visit to the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro was our next move after our long break at Marangu hotel. Fortunately, the hotel had a few climbers leaving the next day and we asked to join the group and hear the briefings. The briefing was done very professionally with areas on the trek being pinpointed through a small mounted map in a secluded room nearby the starting point.

It, surely, felt like we had already started climbing the free-standing mountain, Kilimanjaro, 5895 m above sea level when we finally took our way back to Arusha!