Machame

Machame, to the north  of  the Arusha - Moshi road, is  a mosaic  of  beautiful  valleys,  deep  gorges, rivers, waterfalls and farms, and  is  home  to the Chagga  people.  Explore the life of the people of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

The tour includes the following:

·         A warm welcome in a local Chagga household

·         Hikes through dense natural forests and farms for acclimatization along fast flowing stems before climbing the mountain

·         Three different views of snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro, where local ancient Chagga legends recount tales of an iron hut that brought them strength

·         A visit to several development projects in the area (coffee production, traditional irrigation, afforestation, cross-breeding, bee-keeping, schools, health care, food processing, etc.)

There are various tours designed by the people of Machame:

·         Sieny - Ngira tour (4-6 hours)

The  tour  starts  from  the  Machame  Cultural  Tourism  Centre (Kyalia) and  takes  you  through  Kalali  market  to  Masama. Sieny catchment  forest  is  historically  a  sacred  place  of  natural forests  bridges  and  caves  where local  people worshipped  during  the  traditional  festivals.  Another  attraction  is  the  natural  bridge called ' Daraja la Mungu' or 'God's Bridge'.

·         Nronga tour (5 hours)

Walk  uphill from  Kyalia  to  Nronga village. Visit  the  milk  purification  centre  run  by  women  and  the Kalali  women's  group specializing  in cheese - making.  If  your  visit  is  on  a Monday,  you  can  enjoy  the colourful  weekly  market.

·         Environmental tour (5 hours)

Get a glimpse of how the locals make pottery for food and water storage. The guide will explain how the conservation activities such as rainwater harvesting undertaken in the area are ideal for a rural setting.

·         Nkuu tour (5 - 8 hours)

From Kyalia, walk through fertile banana and coffee farmlands and learn about an intensive inter-cropping system of mixed crop farming. Also, participate in cooking a traditional Chagga meal before return.

·         Mfuranungun view point (6-8 hours)

See Moshi town, Lake Nyumba ya Mungu (House of God) and learn about horticultural practice at Nkwewele. Hike to Marukeni before descending to the river Semira rich in trout.

·         Ng'uni hike (2 days)

The Sieny - Ngira tour can be combined with a hike to Ng'uni. At Ng'uni, learn to build the oldest Chagga traditional house called 'Mbii'. Meet Mzee Urassa who will brief you on stingless bee - keeping.

·         Lyamungo tour (2 -3 days)

The tour starts at Kyalia and leads you to Lyamungo village where you can learn about coffee production. Visit the Narumu Women Pottery Centre, natural forest and the source of the Weruweru river.  

(Note: Tours can be undertaken on foot, but transport can be organized on request)