Next, you will hike the short but challenging route to the Materuni Falls and you can stand under the waters as they cascade into a tranquility pool that is safe for bathing. Moreover, you will want to jump straight in – after getting sweaty (ok, glowing!) from your hike, there is nothing more soothing than floating in the cool waters. Enjoy your packed lunch before or after your swim – there are no rules!
Start your mini-adventure with the short but fascinating drive from Moshi up the lush slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro to the village of Materuni, approximately 1,800 m above sea level. This is market garden territory and has the perfect mixture of climate and soil to produce some of the best coffee in Africa. You will visit a coffee farm and learn about how coffee is grown, harvested and processed, and you will try your hand at roasting and preparing a fresh cup of coffee the Chagga way. After a delightful coffee break, (so much better than the ones at work!) you will take a beautiful 45-minute hike through the hills and valleys route to the Materuni Falls. You will pass through banana and coffee plantations, up and down mini-valleys, across ridges and through narrow splashing rivulets. Along the way your guide will teach you about local plants and how they used for food and traditional medicine, as well as giving you more insight into the local Chagga culture.
It is your chance to ask questions about a lifestyle that’s probably very different from your own! You will hear the fall before you see them, and once they come into view, you might be lucky enough to see a rainbow sheen as the splashing waters split the sunlight. The falls hidden away in a pristine valley with cliffs towering to 200ft overhead. The mountain waters falls straight down in a shimmering curtain to splash in the rippling pool where you can float, take a swim and chill out – literally, as these are pure mountain waters and not yet heated by the sun. However, it will be welcome after your hike.