By Peter Carty and Stephanie Kaplan
It was raining when we got off the bus in Soni. The Rough Guide to Tanzania steered us toward Maweni to find Juma Kahema to be our guide into the Usambara Mountains.
Lodge
Getting Here
Lodge
By car from Dar es Salaam takes about five hours: Leave town (yes, just do it!). Turn right in Chalinze, left in Segera, and right in Mombo. After 20 minutes you’re in Soni. Turn right and follow the signs to Maweni, 2.5 km.
trekking
LodgeTREKKING
The Usambaras is one of the best trekking areas in Tanzania. Our tourism manager Juma Kahema organised the cultural tourism programme in Lushoto in the mid 1990s, which last year organised guides for more than 2,000 tourists. Yet there is no crowding. It is easy to find new routes through the vast network of scenic footpaths that criss-cross the mountains, and there are thousands of places to explore on the way. Villagers have remained curious and very hospitable. Local groups and entrepreneurs are beginning to provide bed-and-breakfast facilities, campsites and cultural events, which we seek to encourage. Juma has visited virtually every hill and every village in the mountains, and will be delighted to suggest routes and activities to meet special requests and expectations. Below are a few examples of routes we like:
