Machame Rainforest and Waterfall Trekking

The trekking started at the Machame Gate, which is one of the starting points for climbing Kilimanjaro, the mountain with the highest summit in Africa. 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 the area where located at the south-western slope of Kilimanjaro, with the reputation of its mosaic landscape including valleys, rives, waterfalls and rainforests; it is also the home base of the Chagga tribe. The first 2.5 hour trekking was an easy trek and had presented us the tropical view of the area. The whole trekking was very informative with our guide Hilary showing us different kinds of plants. Even if you are not a plant lover, you will be amazed how diverse the vegetations are in this area. Along the way, we had met some local Chagga people and Hilary also taught us how to greet in a Chagga way.

After lunch, we went to a local household to learn the local way to prepare a cup of coffee. The entire process was demonstrated in front of us, from harvesting to coffee bean roasting and grinding. They even invited us to join in the preparation. While tasting the coffee that we had prepared by ourselves, the house owner was sharing with us the local lifestyle and customs. After regaining energy from the coffee, we headed to another trekking to a waterfall. The route was not difficult and it took us about an hour to reach the waterfall.  We were provided time to swim in the waterfall and some of us even got to the top of the waterfall and jumped down, what a thing! When we got back to the house, some local food and local brews were already there waiting for us. This gave us a chance to enjoy the authentic local produce and experience the local taste. We were also taught the traditional way to drink the brew.

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 full story about the cave and some mysterious events that are claimed to be happened in the cave. Later, we helped with local people to collect banana leaves and feed the cows. The trip was ended with a stunning view of Mt Kilimanjaro on our way back to Moshi.