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History
The enchanting Usambaras
Posted: Friday June 20, 2008 3:32 PM BT
I wanted to spend my birthday in Lushoto which is in heart of the Usambara Mountains. The trip was about 6 hours from Dar-es-Salaam and of course it could have been shorter if my kids hadn't made so many bathroom stops. We stayed at Mullers mountain lodge, about 15 kms away from the town of Lushoto.
We watched the sunset over the valley and hills below us and then enjoyed a dinner at the restaurant there. The cuisine was excellent and we were told that the chef had years of experience and that the meal was created out of fresh produce from the farm. We spent the rest of the evening in our suite next to a log fire. The next day we planned to do some hiking and relaxing in the mountains, which by all accounts are a really beautiful region of Tanzania. Our guide was an old man in his seventies called Francis who spoke excellent English and took us first to the view point at Irente. On the way to Irente, we saw some beautiful homes. Francis told us that German colonialists had built their homes in the European style in these beautiful cool mountains, and amongst the local dwellings they looked somewhat out of place. The plains below stretched out endlessly and on the surrounding hillsides we saw a patchwork of intensive cultivation with irrigation races crisscrossing these slopes. Close to Mullers, I noticed a beautiful home, and Francis said it belonged to our previous president, Benjamin Mkapa. Francis said that Lushoto was founded by the German administration about 100 years ago, and the Germans even planned to move their capital there because of the pleasant mountain climate. I am not surprised that our president chose to have a retirement home in Lushoto. We went to this spectacular viewpoint called Irente that offers a panoramic view of the plains below, stretching toward Dar, and in the other direction the Mountains and rainforests of Lushoto. My kids had a good laugh because while we were climbing up the mountain, Francis showed them a spot where we were surrounded by mountains and the voice echoed. They enjoyed calling their names out and listening to the sound of their voices coming back from the mountains. Next we visited the Diocese of Central Tanganyika farm house at Irente. Father Thomas there told me that they had taught the local farmers how to increase their yield and to plant more high value crops. They even taught the local people how to make cheese and butter, and other products that they could sell to earn a living. Francis insisted on taking us to the waterfall close to the Mullers Mountain Lodge. On our way there we saw some Columbus monkeys. This was my first time ever seeing them and they are most striking with their long black and white mantels and shiny coats. We parked our car and started to explore the nature trails through the indigenous forest. II wasn't very long before. We could hear the sound of the waterfall and within minutes we were there. It was nature's most captivating site, cascading from over 30 meters high. This waterfall was a delicately flowing graceful type that totally relaxed my mind and mesmerized me with its intricate beauty. We had our lunch there and later returned to the lodge for the evening, to rest our bodies and recall the memories of the day. The following day we fished at a pond near Mullers lodge and went down to the village to buy some fruit and fruit trees. On our way back to Dar-es-Salaam, I promised myself I will definitely revisit that part of the world. Francis also wants to take us to several other view points and hiking trails as well as calling on several different NGO's. So, for this time, we simply said: "Au revoir, beautiful Lushoto! By Express Reporter Dar es Salaam
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