WHAT TO DO
1) – MAGAMBA NATURE RESERVE
– MAZUMBAI NATURE RESERVE
– MKUSSU FOREST
– SHAGAYU FOREST
Forests found at Usambara mountains has high biological diversity with high richness of flora and fauna due to climatic conditions present in the area.
Dominant trees includes:
Ocotea usambarensis, Tabernaemonntana pachysiphon, Cyathea manniana (fern), Dasylepis integra and many others.
Animals includes: Black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, rabbits and squirrels.
Reptiles includes: Chameleons, lizards and snakes.
Birds: The Usambaras has varieties of bird species like Usambara eagle owl, Usambara nightjar, Nectarinia usambaricus, Sheppardia montana, Sunbird and many more.
Insects includes: colorful butterflies, ants, beetles, millipedes and centipedes species and many others
2) – MTAE WORLD VIEW POINT
– KIGULUHAKWEWA PEAK
– IRENTE VIEW POINT
– YOGHOI VIEW POINT
– NDEKAI (CARTER) VIEW POINT
– KWEMASHAI VIEW POINT
– KAMBE PEAK
– JAVA PEAK
– GALE PEAK
– KWEHONDO PEAK
The above are the view points and peaks, they are the areas with high attitude within the ranges of Usambara mountains with superb visibility. They are both scattered positioned and worth visiting.
3) – KISASA WATERFALLS
– SUNGWI WATERFALLS
– SONI WATERFALLS
– MKUZU WATERFALLS
Usambara mountains are blessed with stunning nature and valleys which brings natural spring water that flows from different locations and intersect to form rivers with huge water volumes flowing downhills eventually waterfalls happens.
The above waterfalls are located in different places within Usambara mountains.
4) USAMBARA SUNSET
It’s real amazing to experience the sunset at the top of Usambara mountains. The best spot for the Usambara sunset is from any of the mentioned viewpoints and peaks.
Usually the Usambara sunset happens from 18:00 to 18:30.
5) BIRDS WATCHING AND PHOTO SHOOTING
Usambara mountains are the best places for a birds watching and photo shooting.
Some birds species found here are :-
Owls, Swifts, Caprimulgus guttifer (Usambara nightjar), Budo vosseleri (Usambara eagle owl), Neocossyehus poensis (White tailed ant-thrush), Turdus pelios (African thrush), Turdus roehli (Usambara thrush), Sheppardia montana (Usambara akalat), Nectarinia usambaricus (Usambara sunbird), Ploceus melanogaster (Black billed weaver), Pachypgartes supperciliosus (Compact weaver) and many others
6) USAMBARA COFFEE TOUR
Usambara mountains weather is suitable for the growth of coffee. On this tour you will visit coffee farms learn how it’s grown, harvested , grinded and roasted. You will taste and drink the fresh made cup of coffee before your sight.Â
7) LOCAL SUGARCANE BEER TOUR
The Usambara mountains are largely occupied by Sambaa tribe. The Sambaas has their own local way of preparing events, festivals, local dishes and drinks.
From this tour you will have a moment to see how the locals prepare local drinks from sugarcanes. They make juice, beer and spirit liquor out of sugarcane plant.
8) LOCAL DISHES COOKING LESSONS
The people of Sambaa tribe has vast dishes that is being produced and prepared locally. On this tour you have the opportunity to taste and eat the delicious local meals prepared right from local kitchen. If preferred you can also lean how to prepare one of the local meals.
9) GREWAL OLD SAWMILL & DAM
This is one of the most beautiful places to visit which is found within Magamba Nature Reserve. It’s the best place for camping, birds watching, the only place at Usambara with dam without skipping an old sawmill that was heavily processing forest logs for woods production far back in 1970’s
10) THE SLEEPING SIMBA MOUNTAIN
This place has the most blissful landscapes of all the Usambaras. it’s the only place that can be reached by either climbing the Usambara mountains from foothills or by hiking from Lushoto town via Magamba nature reserve. It’s called sleeping Simba mountain as the rocks has made an image of sleeping lion (head, eyes and nose). It’s a place that should indeed be at your bucket list.
11) SKYLINE LOG CARRIER
The place present itself as sky log carrier where some investors made a zip line for carrying forest logs from the top of Usambara mountains down to the foothills of Mkumbara village for further woods production.
12) USAMBARA SAKHARANI WINERY (WINE TASTING)
This is an amazing place to see grape farms and macadamia nuts plants. It’s the only place at Usambara mountains to taste wine that has been produced on top of these beautiful mountains.
13) HERIKULU TEA FARMS & PRODUCTION
Amongst economic activities of Usambara indigenous is tea farming. To spot tea plantations you need to ride east regions of Lushoto district to Bumbuli constituency.
Through your visit to the tea farms you will learn how tea is grown, harvested and processed till you get it to your cup.
14) LION WATTLE PLANT
Visit one of the key manufacturer in the Mimosa Wattle Tree extraction in Solid put-up at Lushoto a home of Usambara mountains.
The products produced here are used for treatment of Hide and Skins. The plant is engaging in the extraction of solid from Black Wattle Tree.
The plant has production capacity of 150 tons per month.
This solid extraction is a natural vegetable product that is used in the Leather Tannery Industry.
The products are in great demand among the Leather refinery industries all over the world. The hardship of raw materials gives an edge for the great demand.
Currently very few countries produce these products like South Africa, Zimbabwe and Brazil.
15) MKOMAZI NATIONAL PARK
This park is situated between Kilimanjaro region and Tanga region. In Tanga region it’s connected to Lushoto district and the North side it’s Tsavo west national park of Kenya.
Most animals that can be seen to Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater can be seen at Mkomazi national park. Inside the park there is Rhino Sanctuary project meant to cross bleeding the Rhinos, this means you’re going to see Rhino more closer than anywhere in Tanzania.
Mkomazi is the best park for a birds watching and photographing. Most species of birds are found here. You can also do a Walking safari, Night game drive and Camping.
Mkomazi national park has airstrip for your easy accessibility.
16) MAASAI TRADITIONAL TOUR
This tour will take you to the foothills of Usambara mountains at Mombo minor town closest to Lushoto.
Tanzania has more than 120+ tribes but Maasai tribe is still embracing their traditional way of living.
It’s a Maasai tradition to keep cattle and it’s their primary source of food and income.
Amongst Maasai the measure of man’s wealth is in terms of number of women, children and cattle owned. So the more the better
There is a lot to learn on their culture when it comes to their housing, their diet, their clothing, their marriage ceremonies, their bravery and many more.
You can also pay a visit to Maasai local market at Mlembule village which happens wednesday on every week.
17) BIKING THE USAMBARA MOUNTAINS
Cycling the Usambara mountains has unique experience than anywhere within Tanzania. The mountains has beautiful valleys and landscapes.
Your trails pass through villages, indigenous farms, rocks and natural green forests.
It’s indeed a lifetime blissful experience you won’t forget.
18) LUSHOTO LOCAL MARKET AND TREE/FLOWERS NURSERY TOUR
The indigenous Sambaa, Pare and Mbugu usually meet-up every Thursday and Sunday on every week at colorful Lushoto market where they gather together for selling and buying of their farm harvested crops and other domestic goods.
It’s the best place to experience an African way of shopping and buy your self catering items.
For nature and flowers lovers you can pay a visit to Bulla garden, a place full of colorful flowers and varieties of tree species.
19) CHARITY TO BLIND, ORPHANAGE AND INTELLECTUAL IMPAIRMENT CENTRES
Blessed is the hands that gives. If at all you feel from inside your heart to give and share a little thing that God has blessed you with then support these needy kids.
It can be monetary thing, soaps, food stuff, cooking oils, pens & pencils, clothing, blankets, bed sheets, and other small gifts
Irente orphanage children’s home, blind school and Intellectual impairment centres are easily accessible from either Lushoto town, Irente view point or from Irente farm restaurant.
You can hike either hire a transfer to reach this place.
20) SCHOOL VISIT PROGRAM
If you have passion for teaching english language or sharing a general knowledge topics to Kindergarten school, Primary school or a Secondary school then you have a 30 minute chance to talk to Tanzanian students.
Small gifts is not necessary but important to these school children.
21) A VISIT TO BEEKEEPERS
You have opportunity to learn about these magical insects which keeps farming activities possible and reality.
You will visit a long lived group of Mwangoi Beekeeping Group, a group dedicated into beekeeping, hives production, honey harvesting gears and other group economical initiatives.
Learn about bee life cycle, a Queen Bee, drones, worker bees, brood, Propolis & Pollen, bee wax, Royal jelly, how honey is made and finally taste the Usambara mountains organic honey.
22) VOLUNTEERING AND INTERNSHIP AT USAMBARA MOUNTAINS
For students and non students who are looking for volunteering placements then Usambara mountains give it all.
We have good District hospital, Good public and private schools, Colleges, Mental disability facilities, NGO’s, Animals projects, Farming, Environmental and Microfinance.
23) USAMBARAVEILCHEN PLANT
This flower is known to Tanzania as African violet but in Germany is called Usambaraveilchen.
The flower is historical related where during colonial times far back 1880s the rulers of Tanganyika the Germans were impressed with the plant and took it from Usambara mountains to Germany.
By visiting Usambara mountains you have an awe aspiring feelings of being home when you encounter Usambaraveilchen, but for the rest other travelers you get to know the flower and its historical background.
24) GERMAN CAVE
The cave is located inside Magamba Nature Reserve where upon visiting this forest you have the opportunity to go through this 50 meters cave.
The cave is believed to be dug by Germans during colonial times for self defence and also mine searching.
25) PADDY IRRIGATION SCHEME
The scheme is located at Usambara mountains foothills at Mng’aro village.
There is about 1,530ha of land which is utilised for paddy irrigation scheme.
You have the opportunity to learn why farmers are selling paddy instead of rice due to the lack of modern rice milling processing machines.
Activities to see in the scheme includes land preparation, paddling, transplanting and harvesting.
26) SISAL PLANTATIONS
Sisal farms are grown and found at the Usambara mountains foothills. Most travelers coming to Usambara mountains once saw them while inside their buses are mistakenly think it’s a pineapple fields.
Sisal production in Tanzania began far back in 19th century by Germans. Our country was the largest exporter of Sisal in the world where after our independence the production began to deteriorate due to price drop in the world market.
You have the opportunity to learn more about Sisal farming from planting till harvesting and how the small plants are processing to get the fibre and see the final products which are ropes, handbags and many other products.
27) INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
There are concrete reasons for well-off individuals, public and private firms, companies and corporations to invest at Lushoto with below identified potentials:-
* A good climate and fertile soil that favors human settlement and agriculture
* Transport and communication infrastructures
* Internal and external markets due to expanding population and their income
* Landscapes, nature and cultural diversity that offers considerable opportunities to invest in tourism.
* Existence of natural forests that favors development of forests and related activities such as beekeeping, honey production, wood works like furniture, sawmills, paper production, fiber boards, lumber boards, wood veneers, plywood and so many products.
From above to do list you can write us for any further information and we will be happy to help organising for your best Usambara mountains experience.