Mt Kilimanjaro!!

 

Sustainable tourism

The trek began at the Machame Gate, one of the starting points for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the continent’s highest summit. Right at the gate, we found a bunch of people who were ready to conquer this very mountain. Good luck to them! Back to our trekking, Machame is located on the south-western slope of Kilimanjaro, with a reputation for its mosaic landscape, including valleys, rivers, waterfalls, and rainforests; it is also the home base of the Chagga tribe. The first 2.5-hour trek was easy and gave us a tropical view of the area. The trek was very informative, and our guide, Hilary, showed us different plants. Even if you are not a plant lover, you will be amazed at how diverse the vegetation is in this area. Along the way, we met some local Chagga people, and Hilary also taught us how to greet them in a Chagga way.

After lunch, we visited a local household to learn the traditional way of preparing a cup of coffee. The entire process was demonstrated before us, from harvesting to roasting and grinding coffee beans. They even invited us to join in the preparation. While tasting the coffee we had prepared, the house owner was sharing the local lifestyle and customs with us. After regaining energy from the coffee, we headed on another trek to a waterfall. The route was not challenging; it took us about an hour to reach the waterfall.  We were given time to swim in the waterfall, and some of us even made it to the top and jumped down – what a thrill! When we returned to the house, some local food and brews were already there waiting for us. This allowed us to enjoy authentic local produce and experience the local taste. We were also taught the traditional way to drink the brew.

The next day, we trekked to an old Chagga cave, which the Chagga people used as a shelter during the wars.  Inside the cave, we heard the whole story about the cave and some mysterious events that were claimed to happen there. Later, we helped local people to collect banana leaves and feed the cows. The trip ended with a stunning view of Mt Kilimanjaro on our way back to Moshi.

 

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