The Slow Leopard — Restaurant in Dar es-Salaam

After years of living in the area and longing to stay close to my beloved Masaki, I chose The Slow Leopard Hostel over pricier hotels—and it turned out to be one of my best travel decisions. This place isn’t just a hostel; it’s a homecoming, thanks to its warm staff, peaceful vibe, and unbeatable location.||Why Slow Leopard Stands Out:|A Warm, Familiar Welcome: I was greeted by a woman I’ve known for 20+ years—from her days at a Slipway bookshop (owned by my friend Sara) to a café in Masaki, and now here. Her charming smile and attentive service made me feel instantly at home. Along with Diana (the hostel manager), they surprised me with a private room upgrade—even though I’d originally booked a shared dorm. Their kindness sealed my decision to stay.||Blissful Quiet & Deep Sleep: After enduring 10 sleepless nights in Addis Ababa (thanks to noisy mosques and churches), I finally rested peacefully in a spacious, quiet bungalow. No disturbances—just serenity.||Fast Wi-Fi & Stunning Workspaces: The open-air lounge, surrounded by lush gardens, became my evening office. With reliable Wi-Fi, I worked comfortably under the trees—a rare luxury for digital nomads in Dar.||Morning Magic: My days started with 6 AM jogs along Slipway → Tore Drive → Coco Beach, where the Indian Ocean’s blue waves and soothing sounds washed away Addis’ chaos. Returning to a hot shower (my first in 10 days!) and a delicious Spanish omelet + green tea breakfast felt like heaven.||Personalized Hospitality: The heartwarming chats with the two amazing ladies before and after breakfast made me feel like family. Their nurturing attitudes turned a simple stay into a memorable experience—something I’d never get at a standard hotel in Slipway.||Ideal For:|✔ Budget backpackers who want comfort without luxury prices|✔ Leisure travelers seeking peace, greenery, and ocean breezes|✔ Digital nomads needing strong Wi-Fi & inspiring workspaces|✔ Solo travelers who appreciate personal connections & safety||Final Verdict:|If you’re visiting Dar es Salaam (or Tanzania in general) and want a relaxing, affordable, and heartwarming stay, The Slow Leopard Hostel is a perfect choice. It’s more than just a place to sleep—it’s where strangers become friends, where silence is golden, and where morning jogs by the ocean become therapy.||Pro Tip: Book early and ask for Diana or her wonderful colleague—their hospitality will make your trip unforgettable. And don’t miss the sunrise run to...

I am so disappointed!

The hostel has big potential but unfortunately there are way too much deficiencies so it's getting into my FLOP 10 Hostels I've ever been. What a pity! And I've been to a many of them during my trip around the world.

Cons: half an hour after eating the salad bowl for lunch my friend got stomachache and over the day she became diarrhea and had to vomit. She didn't eat anything else that day but the breakfast and the bowl at the hostel so I don't want to burden the hostel with guilt... but.. yeah.. you know what I mean. disgusting toilet seats. Please spend some money for new ones, they look so bad, baaaaaah!!! In general the bathroom looks rundown you can't lock the toilet door in the upper floor of the main house. Well, you can, but there is a slot of almost 5 cm. No privacy at all. One of the two showers can't be locked as well. almost no shelf space in the bedroom or bathroom dirty bedclothes in all of our 3 beds. They were changed but now they have holes everywhere. Bad quality we can't close the door to the terrace of our 3 bed room and from the neighbors 2 bed room, which has also access to the terrace, you can go into our room. No safety is given. cracks in the doors of the room so you can even look inside even when everything is locked useless mosquito net for the beds prices of the drinks could be better. I also pay 5.000 TSH for a beer at a nice beach club an Coco beach. But you get 10% discount if you're staying in the hostel you can't split the bill after asking to pay separate. That's a pity. kinda bright at night

Cons-neutral: very loud in the evening but good for socializing when was the last time the outdoor pillows were cleaned? The are looking very dirty und not hygienic

Pros: great outdoor area with big screen for the world cup and other sport games nice bar good breakfast comfy beds good aircon in the room good location In general friendly stuff good...

My friend and I stayed 3 nights at the slow leopard hostel. Henry and all of the staff are so kind and hospitable. The service at the bar is quick and their food is yummy. The Friday night amapiano music was so great to experience. My friend and I were looking for a nice hostel to have a restful stay and slow leopard met all of our needs for these criteria.

Henry also helped us have a great experience on an improvised safari during busy Christmas times. He recommended us to his friend Abeid who runs safari tours. We went to Mikumi and had the best safari experience and hike to the beautiful waterfall of Udzungwa. We saw 8 lions with our guide which was unheard of. I honestly couldn’t have imagined a more professional guide than Abeid. He made sure we had everything organized from the moment we met him until the time we left Mikumi. It’s important to have trustworthy people as your tour guides and I think Henry made sure this would be the case for us. I am glad our “winging it” trip ended up at slow leopard and meeting our guide turned new friend...