Materuni Waterfalls, Coffee and Hot Springs from Arusha

Arusha and the road to Kilimanjaro

The day starts between 06:00 and 07:00 at your hotel in Arusha, the safari capital of northern Tanzania. Before leaving town our guide drives you past the clock tower that marks the centre, the busy market streets and the green outskirts under Mount Meru, so you get a feel for the city even if you are only here for a night. The road east towards Moshi takes about ninety minutes and runs through coffee estates, maize fields and small villages, with Kilimanjaro International Airport halfway.

On clear mornings, especially between June and October and again in January and February, the snow-capped summit of Kilimanjaro rises above the clouds ahead of you, which is why we leave so early. The Materuni Waterfalls day trip from Arusha is a long day, around ten hours, but the early start means you reach the waterfall before the heat and the afternoon showers.

Materuni village and the hike to the waterfall

Materuni is a Chagga village about fifteen kilometres north of Moshi, at roughly 1,500 metres on the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro. The Chagga people have farmed these slopes for centuries, growing bananas, coffee, avocados and beans in terraced gardens fed by mountain streams. From the village the hike to the Materuni waterfall takes about forty-five minutes each way on a path that drops through the gardens, crosses a stream and climbs again, with Moshi and the plains spread out below.

The waterfall itself is about ninety metres high and pours from a cliff into a cold, clear pool where you can swim. Bring swimwear and a towel; the water comes straight off the mountain, so it is refreshing rather than warm. How hard is the Materuni waterfall hike? It is a moderate walk with some muddy, steep sections, so trainers or hiking shoes with grip are important, and our guide sets a relaxed pace with stops for photos of the valley.

The Chagga coffee experience

Back in the village a local family shows you the full Chagga coffee ritual. Coffee has grown on Kilimanjaro since the late nineteenth century and the small Arabica farms of Materuni still process it by hand. You pick ripe red cherries if they are in season, then peel, roast the green beans over a wood fire, pound them in a wooden mortar to the rhythm of Chagga songs and finally brew and drink the result with a view over the banana groves.

It is a hands-on, cheerful hour and one of the most popular things to do near Moshi for families, because children love the pounding and singing. Lunch, a traditional meal cooked in the village, is included. If you want to take a bag of freshly roasted Materuni coffee with you, the family sells it directly, which supports the village rather than a middleman.

Chemka (Kikuletwa) Hot Springs

In the afternoon we drive down from the mountain to the plain near Boma Ng'ombe, where the Chemka Hot Springs, also known as Kikuletwa Hot Springs, appear like an oasis in dry bushland. Spring water filtered through Kilimanjaro's volcanic rock surfaces in a pool of startling turquoise shaded by huge fig trees whose roots trail into the water. The water is warm rather than hot, about the temperature of a tepid bath, and clear enough to see the sandy bottom and the tiny fish that nibble at your feet.

Is Chemka Hot Springs worth visiting after the hike? Most of our guests say it is the highlight of the day: you float, swing from the rope, or simply sit in the shade. There are changing rooms and simple toilets on site. The default option already includes the Chemka entrance fee; if you book the option without it, you pay the fee at the gate. We leave in the late afternoon and are back in Arusha in the evening.