Looking at spending one-two nights in the Mt. Kili area. Should we stay in Arusha or Moshi? Any recommendations on accommodation? Also want to do few hour "trek" up first part of Kili just so we can say we climbed it Not sure if we can go in on our own or if we need a guide. If guide needed, also seeking recommendations.

Thanks

I suppose you can say you climbed it without even going....

I think it might be more satisfying to go either to Mt Kenya and go to the top of the hikers peak, or shorter go to Mt Meru. I have done both those and Kilimanjaro and they are all nice. Kenya is maybe the most scenic.

You might be able to go on Kili without a guide but good luck trying to figure out the permit process etc.

Arusha is better place to stay. I stayed in very basic hotel which worked for me- Springlands.

I hiked Kili, and reached the summit, 7 days via Machame route and it was awesome! However, I am not aware that it is possible to do a day climb. You have to have a guide, register at the park entrance and pay park fees and all that. I expect that they probably wouldn't believe you that you're doing only a day hike, and would try to make you pay the full fees.
I supposed you could pay someone to drive you all the way to the foothills below the entrance, and walk around a bit, seems a bit ridiculous to me, and its a long drive from Arusha. From Moshi, you might be able to do some hiking into the lower portions of the mountain.

Mt Meru is much lower but my understanding is that it is a more difficult climb in terms of steepness and actually needing some climbing skills. Meru is a 3-4 day hike. Altitude sickness isn't a big issue though.

One thing I do recommend is going to Arusha National Park. It is the only game park where you can actually take a guided walk with a ranger (carrying a rifle), and walk up close to giraffes, buffalo, and other wildlife. Our walk also took us to a waterfall.

IIRC, Moshi is around an hour away from Arusha, and it cost me $50 to get between the two. So, I wouldn't do this as a daily commute.

Thanks all. Sounds like it's not worth going into the park just for a few hours. Think we'll explore Moshi and maybe do a cultural tourism tour and take in the views of Kili from there. Thanks again.