THINGS TO DO IN LUSHOTO
Lushoto is the main base for exploring the West Usambara Mountains and offers far more than one fixed hiking route. Choose from guided hikes, waterfalls, viewpoints, coffee and farm experiences, village visits and other activities, or keep your stay flexible and decide what you would like to do once you arrive.
COOKING CLASS & LOCAL DANCE
Price: $55 per person
Duration: about 3 hours
Begin your hike at the hotel and walk through traditional villages and farmland. Take in the beautiful scenery and interact with the local people.
Arrive at Mhelo village in Irente and meet the women conducting the cooking class. Learn about the local food that can be found in Usambara mountain and what a typical meal consists of. Join the women in preparing the ingredients that will be used for the meal and assist with the cooking process; finally enjoy your meal together.
After lunch relax and digest while enjoying some typical local dance and if interested join the group to dance along before making your way back to the hotel.
ART CLASS
Price: $45 per person
Duration: about 3 hours
Begin your walk or drive from the hotel to the workshop where you will meet with your local guide. He will go through the various painting techniques before helping you create your own masterpiece.
You can also choose to focus on recycled art in stead of paintings. Learn how dumped materials such as plastic bottles, glass bottles, boxes and barks of banana trees can be reused to make decorative pieces.
Enjoy a cup of organic coffee and fresh fruit during your workshop.
IRENTE VIEWPOINT AT SUNSET
Price: $35 per person
Duration: about 3-4 hours (7kms walk)
This is the perfect tour if you are in Lushoto for a 1-night stop or you do not have enough time to do a full hike.
From your hotel hike to the viewpoint passing through villages enjoy the breeze and gaze down at the Mkomazi flood plains, the Maasai village and German sisal plantation about 1000m below.
Should you wish to have drinks for sundowners please make arrangements at the time of booking and purchase your drinks from the bar at the hotel.
Once the sun has set, take a the car back to your hotel.
LUSHOTO TOWN TOUR &
IRENTE VIEW POINT AT SUNSET
Price: $45 per person
Duration: about 4-6 hours (13kms walk)
Walk through Lushoto colourful market and see the hustle of everyday life. Make your way through the town where you will visit an old Lutheran church and cemeteries of the missionaries.
Walk to the oldest post office and pass a colonial prison and learn some historical facts about the building and their structure.
Then start walking uphill to Irente view point. At the view point which is 1000m below enjoy the view of the Mkomazi flood plain, Moshi -Dar es salaam highway, Masai plains, sisal plantation and learn more about the cultural difference between the people of the plain and the mountain people.
Should you wish to have drinks for sundowners please make arrangements at the time of booking and purchase your drinks from the bar at the hotel.
Once the sun has set, take the car back to your hotel.
KISASA WATERFALL &
CARTERS PEAK
Price: $55 per person
Duration: about 4-5 hours (14kms walk)
Head from the hotel through farmland and planted forest to carter’s peak. Known for its use of paragliding; the views extend to Mombo and Dar – Arusha highway.
Relax while admiring the view while having your picnic lunch. Then make your way back towards Kisasa waterfall. Thereafter make your way back to the hotel.
COCONUT WORKSHOP
Price: $45 per person
Duration: about 2 hours
Walk or drive from the hotel to the workshop located in town. Meet up with your local guide where he will show you the various items that can be made from a coconut such as coconut oil, Ashtrays, sugar pots, salt pots and earrings. Once you have chosen your item, he will assist you with the process of making the item starting with a whole coconut.
Enjoy a cup of organic coffee and fresh fruit during your workshop.
LUSHOTO TOWN TOUR
Price: $20 per person
Duration: about 1,5 hours
From your hotel start walking and explore the old German town of Lushoto by visiting a local market where various food and local commodities are sold. Keep walking to old colonial cemeteries then walk downhill where you will pass by an old colonial hotel which is currently used as a roman catholic church and on to the oldest police station in east Africa.
Keep walking past an old colonial prison currently Lushoto’ s district prison and a colonial dispensary currently used as residential houses.
Continue your walk uphill to the old post office up to the colonial administrative office and learn some historical facts about the buildings and structures.
MAGAMBA RAINFOREST
Price: $55 per person
Duration: about 5-6 hours (14kms walk)
Leaving your hotel, take a walk uphill through traditional villages, farmland and learn about cultural life of the Shambaa and Kilindi ethnic groups, keep your eyes alert and spot some chameleons.
Continue your hike up to Magamba rainforest while leaning about the spiritual and medicinal herbs used by the local tribesmen. Look into tree tops and see if you can spot a black and white colobus monkey or the famous blue monkey. Pass by the German cave and learn of its historical military use.
Hike to the peak of the forest where you can enjoy the view of Lushoto town and the royal village while you have your lunch before slowly making your way back to the hotel.
MAGAMBA RAINFOREST & KISASA WATERFALL
Price: $60 per person
Duration: about 6-7 hours (18kms walk)
After breakfast start trekking from your hotel though the villages particularly the historical royal village of Kwembago, learn about the Shambaa traditional history, spot some chameleons on the way.
Arrive in the Magamba forest reserve where you will explore the forest; rich in flora and fauna such as black and white colobus monkeys, variety of birds such as Usambara sun bird, different kind of tree species found inside the forest.
Also found in the rainforest is an old German military cave and from there arrive at the Kigulu Hakwewa peak about 1840m. Enjoy Lushoto town view, forest cover as well.
Have picnic lunch at Magamba peak After lunch start walking downhill passing through natural trails, visit the local traditional brewery and learn how the local beer (boha) can be made from sugar cane juice, then proceed to Kisasa water fall.
After enjoying the majestic waterfall start waking back to the hotel.
MAGAMBA RAINFOREST & IRENTE VIEWPOINT
Price: $60 per person
Duration: about 6-7 hours (19kms walk)
Leaving the hotel take a walk uphill through traditional villages and farmlands. Try to spot chameleons while learning about cultural life of the Shambaa and Kilindi ethnic groups.
Continue your hike up to Magamba rainforest while learning about the spiritual and medicinal herbs as used by the colonial tribesmen. Look into the tree tops and see if you can spot a black and white colobus monkey or the famous blue monkeys.
Continue to an old German cave while learning of its historical military use. Hike to the peak of the forest where you can enjoy the view of Lushoto town and the forest cover.
After enjoying the view of Magamba peak start walking down hill to Irente biodiversity reserve and have lunch at the farm. Lunch includes bread, salad, cheese, jam and fresh passion juice.
Keep walking to a stunning view point of Irente, at the view point sit on the rock edge where you can feel the breeze and gaze down at the Mkomazi flood plains, the Maasai villages and the German sisal plantations about 1000m below.
After enjoying the view you will walk back to your hotel.
COFFEE TOUR
Price: $50 per person
Duration: about 3-4 hours
Begin your hike from the hotel to Kwembago royal village where along the way have a chance spot some chameleons and learn about medicinal herbs used by local people.
At Kwembago village learn about the traditional history of local people of Shambaa and learn more about their daily way of living. Proceed to Mr Kassimu’s farm where coffee process is operated. See the complete life cycle of the coffee cherry from flower to bean while he further explains all process needed for the coffee production.
At the end of the tour enjoy some freshly ground and brewed organic coffee before making your way back to the hotel.
IRENTE VIEWPOINT
Price: $35 per person
Duration: about 3-4 hours (15kms walk)
Begin your hike at the hotel and walk-through traditional villages and farmland. Take in the beautiful scenery and interact with the local people.
At the view point sit on the rock edge where you can feel the breeze and gaze down at the Mkomazi flood plains, the Maasai village and German sisal plantation about 1000m below.
Included is a farm lunch which is a 15-minute walk to Irente Biodiversity reserve.
KISASA WATERFALL
Price: $30 per person
Duration: about 3 hours (14kms walk)
A newly discovered waterfall, walk through farmland and planted forest to reach this beautiful sight. It is worthwhile to note that the Kisasa waterfall is more majestic than the Mkuzi waterfall however unlike the Mkuzi waterfall, Kisasa waterfall does not have a pool for swimming. Also note that the climb down to the waterfall is quite steep.
Enjoy your picnic lunch at the waterfall. Then after start walking slowly back to the hotel.
KISASA WATERFALL &
IRENTE VIEW POINT
Price: $55 per person
Duration: about 5-6 hours (14kms walk)
Begin your hike from hotel through farmland and planted forest to reach this beautiful sight, learn about early settlers of the town get to the waterfall, note that the climb down to the waterfall is quite steep.
Then after enjoying the falls continue to Irente view point take in a beautiful scenery interact with local people and spot some chameleons.
At the view point sit on the rock edge where you can feel the breeze and gaze down at Mkomazi flood plain and learn more about cultural difference between the people of the plain and mountain people.
Included is farm lunch which is 15 minutes’ walk to Irente biodiversity reserve.
