Day Trips and Cultural Tour Packages
TANZANIA GIANTS TOURS LTD.
Materuni Village
Day tour to Materuni village will give you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with one of the ethnic group of the Chagga tribe [Wauru] and is still an authentic tribal village. This charming place is located just 15km North East of Moshi Town and is the last village before the Kilimanjaro National Park.
You will be picked up from the hotel/lodge and drive you to Materuni Village. Upon arrival, you will register at the village office and your trip can begin with the visit to the waterfalls, which are around a 40 minute walk away. On the way, your guide will inform you about the culture of the Chagga, village life and explain the surrounding fauna and flora. The views are truly breathtaking, and with some luck you will see the summit of Kilimanjaro. When you reach the waterfalls, you will see that they are more than 80 meters high. On the bottom of the waterfall there is an amazing pool which is a good place for a refreshing swim so you might as well bring your swimwear.
After having enjoyed the scenery, you slowly return with your guide to Materuni village, where you will experience a traditional Chagga lunch. You also will have the opportunity to taste our local banana beer – definitely not to be missed. Next the coffee experience awaits you, here you will learn how coffee is cultivated, dried, roasted and further processed. You will also be invited to help with the grinding of the coffee, which is traditionally accompanied by Chagga songs and dances – a fun way to immerse yourself in the local culture. Before you say goodbye and return in the afternoon to Moshi, you can savour the coffee you made and appreciate the views of the surrounding rainforest.
Kikuletwa Hotsprings
You’ll depart from your lodge/hotel at Arusha/Moshi and go for 2 hours’ drive to Kikuletwa hot spring in Swahili known as Maji Moto. This scenic drive takes you off the tourist trail and goes through the African scrubland, dried river beds, baobab and acacia trees along the way with a glimpse into local life, lively markets, local farms, and other socio economic activities.
The hot springs of Kikuletwa, also known as Chemka Hot Springs, is close to the village of Rundugai and are one of the most beautiful places to relax in Tanzania. The small pool is surrounded by palm and fig trees with winding roots. In the morning, Blue Monkeys can often be observed in the trees, whilst the crystal clear, turquoise water invites you to a refreshing bath. Although they are so-called hot springs, the water in Kikuletwa is not truly ‘hot’ but refreshing, as the water source flows underground from Kilimanjaro.
You will have few hours soaking in the pleasantly warm waters, swinging on the rope swing, relaxing in the sun-dappled shade of the trees, with option of feasting on local favorites such as chips mayai (a Tanzanian French fry omelet) and Nyamachoma (Barbecue). Later in the late afternoon we will leave and return relaxed to the lodge/hotel.
Ng'iresi – Cultural Tourism Program
Ng’iresi is a village of the Wa-Arusha tribe and offers guided tours to the lush slopes of Mount Meru. Tours to Ng’iresi highlights the struggle of the people to develop and so includes visits to development projects like soil conservation, migration, cross-breeding, and the use of bio-gas. Ng’iresi is about 7 kilometers from Arusha town. Depart from the Hotel after breakfast and drive toward Arusha town and dropped at Kimandolu ya juu, village called Ng’iresi to start Walking Safari.
The activities includes;
Village Tour
Visit Mzee Loti’s Farm for a coffee and tea and get an explanation on bio-gas, cross- breeding and soil conservation project on the farm. Walk to the nearby and enjoy a beautiful view of Arusha town and surrounding Maasai plain. Descend Lekimana Hill to visit the Ngiresi Primary School and return to Loti’s farm for lunch.
Songota Waterfalls
The tour starts from Kwangulelo bus stop. A 45 minutes’ walk takes you to the Songota waterfall in Oldadai Village. Visit Mzee Loti’s farm and visit the biogas and soil conservation projects, traditional house and school.
Navuru Waterfall and Village Tour
From Mzee Loti’s farm, you do the half day tour combined with a walk to the Olgilai forest reserve. A small path leads you the steep canyon of the Themi River. We cross the river to reach the Nuvuru waterfalls.
Village and Forest tour
The village tour can be combined with a visit to the forest on the higher slopes of Mt. Meru. The spring are main source of water for the village commence here. At the edge of the forest, meet a traditional healer. Late afternoon drive back to the Hotel/Lodge
Marangu Village
You will be picked up at the hotel/lodge in Moshi/Arusha and drive to Marangu which will take around 2 and a half hours. Start the tour at Marangu Gate with elevation of 1860m and it is the starting point of the Marangu route [also known as Coca cola route], one of the most popular route to the top of Kilimanjaro. Here you will get from your guide a brief introduction to the history of Kilimanjaro, the beginnings of its ascent and the individual routes to the summit. During your visit at the gate you also have the opportunity to observe the mountaineers in their preparations. Afterwards, we will take a short hike to a nearby valley with a small waterfall, which the locals call the “evergreen valley”.
After the hike it is time to learn more about the history of the Chagga tribe. You will visit the caves dug by the Chagga. You will venture down into the inky black darkness of the tunnels/caves in which Chagga sheltered when the Maasai would raid from the lowlands. Your guide will guide you unerringly through the underground labyrinth as he describes the days of warfare and how the people survived underground for so long. During the excursion you will also have the opportunity to visit a replica of a traditional Chagga house.
Before having lunch at one of the local restaurants, you will visit the very beautiful Kilasiya Waterfall. The walk to these picturesque falls is a leisurely hike through local banana plantations and quiet clusters of homes. You’ll use stepping stones to cross the river and there’s a bit of muddy downhill hiking to get there, but the reward at the end is a towering waterfall with blessedly cool waters beneath. The particularly adventurous may even wish to hop in for a quick swim. The short but exhausting trail is worth the effort. After lunch it is time to head
Longido - Cultural Tourism Program
Pick you up at the lodge/hotel and drive to Longido Mountains located 80 km north of Arusha, the tour to the extensive plains around area features an insight into the traditions of Maasai culture, the lush area is home to rare birds and mammals. The tour includes a nature trail to spot birds, a climb to the impressive Longido Mountain through a dense natural forest, walking safari through the Maasai plains and over the slopes of Longido mountain, a visit to a traditional Maasai village and a tour of historical sites dating back to British colonial times.
Half-Day Tour
Longido is rich in bird life, some of the birds seen in this area are starling major, red and yellow barbet, masked weaver, silver bill and secretary bird. A bird-walk through the Maasai plains starting from the town of Longido to the Bomas of OlTepesi allows you to see birds as well as trees and plants used by the locals to make food and medicines. Later, a visit Maasai boma to see the there lifestyle, thereafter in the afternoon leave and drive back to Arusha.
Full-day tour
Add to the bird walk, a walking safari from OlTepesi to Kimokouwa along a cattle trail. Gradually climb to an altitude of 1,600m to get panoramic views of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru. Descend to Kimokouwa green ‘valley of wells’ and a nearby historic British grave. On Wednesdays, you can extend your stay by visiting the bustling and colorful cattle market. Another popular activity for the people with enough time is a four-day trek – from Longido to the Big Rock and Kitumbaine, on to Lake Natron. Later in the late afternoon leave and drive back to Arusha.
Trekking Marangu – Mandara Hut
You will Depart from Arusha/Moshi with picnic lunches and drive to Marangu, It is a 45-minute drive from Moshi town to Kilimanjaro National Park (Marangu Gate). Upon registering with park authorities, our climb will officially take four to five hours walk to the Mandara encampment. We will pass through a thick rainforest zone, where there is a high chance of rain in the afternoon. You can have your Lunch at the Camp, thereafter descend to the gate and drive back to Moshi for drop off clients at the Hotel/Lodge.
Activities: Guided Trekking to Mandara Hut
