Family visit

Once I came down from Mount Kilimanjaro, my mother joined me in Tanzania: a new step in my trip. It had been a while since I was traveling alone, even if I was never really alone, it was good to see familiar faces again.

We met in Arusha, a tourist city in the North of the country. We stayed at the Banana Farm, an eco-hostel which corresponded perfectly to us, ecological and in full nature. A place in the middle of banana plantations, where we enjoyed the river, and discovered the local life.

Then, we stayed a few days at Kiwavi Home, in the town of Moshi. A very nice and welcoming guest house, serving wonderful breakfasts.

Also he profits are used to finance the Kipepeo foundation which supports local families for a more decent and sustainable life. Inspiring !!!

At the slopes of Kilimanjaro, a lot of coffee is cultivated. So we took the opportunity to visit a culture. We observed the plantation and its fruits, and we did the whole process ourselves, from the manual grinding to the roasting on a wood fire, until the best moment: the tasting! mmmmh!

Not far away, we walked to the beautiful Materuni waterfall.

The next step was Lushoto, a small town in the Usambara Mountains. We did some nice hikes, surrounded by pine and eucalyptus trees in a tropical forest: the smell was incredible. We also went to the market of the small nearby village, Soni. There is no better activity to immerse yourself in the local life and find nice souvenirs!

After that, we went to Magoroto, a camping at the edge of a lake, on the other side of the mountain range. Away from everything, it was the perfect place to walk by the water, swim and relax in the hammock, like if time was suspended.

We also discovered the cultivation of vanilla, pepper, cinnamon, cardamon and clove trees, the plants on which these products of current consumption grow, which we did not know at all.

Back to reality, we went to another small Tanzanian paradise in the natural reserve of Amani. We hiked there to discover its splendid fauna and flora: its cultures of teas, waterfalls, chameleons, birds, and so on... A place so peaceful and magic that it was hard to leave.

At some point, we had to get back on the road... Fortunately, we love it too!

We left the beautiful Usambara Mountains, for a 7 hours bus ride to Dar es Salaam, to welcome another member of the family... To be discovered in the next article!