Exploring Usambara Mountains - A 3-day hike through Tanzania’s green hills

We depart from Dar Es Salaam with a so-called luxury bus because it’s a long 8-hour ride up to Lushoto. The AC is great – especially in the first 1.5 hours when it was actually working. So the adventure begins…

Lushoto is a beautiful town nestled in the hills of the Usambara mountains and rather cool, compared to other parts of Tanzania. We meet our guide, Christina from the local NGO and spend the evening with good company at her friend’s house. The next morning we rise bright and early – off we go! The first hiking day is 9 hours long. We walk up the hill and down the hill, through maize fields, little villages and pristine forests. Our guide spots shy monkeys and chameleons, which we would have never noticed.

The first night along the hike is a homestay managed by three brothers. It lies on a very steep hill and we decide to allow ourselves a piki pike ride (on the back of a motorcycle). We were promised very simple accommodation, more adventurous than comfortable. The beautifully arranged flowers, towels and sheets on the bed speak a different language. After a 5-course Swahili meal we happily fall asleep.

In the morning we could feel our legs, feet, back, well actually everything was pretty sore. But there is not much time to think about that as it is time to go. Today’s hike is not as long as the first one, around 6 hours plus a longer break around noon when it was getting just too hot.

Tonight’s accommodation is a round little mud hut with neither electricity
nor running water. The owner just recently added a small half open bathroom with a hole in the middle and buckets next to it because she heard that guests appreciate this comfort. Her hospitality amazes us – this woman, around 60 years old, spent hours preparing hot water in the fire pit for our warm shower and plenty of delicious food. This little town makes us feel like time travelers, going back 300 years in the past, when there was no electricity, people naturally used nature for medicine and the man had to work hard on the field to support his big family. This night really made us think about how easy our lives actually are.

Day number 3 and in the morning we get to meet the village’s friendly pastor and his family, shaped by missionaries long time ago. He is delighted that we are German and his very first question is what we know from the bible. The talk gets quite interesting, but unfortunately we cannot stay very long as we need to reach our final destination today.

Along the way we meet surprised school kids that are not used to see mzungu (white man) and observe us carefully.

Then we visit a women’s workshop where locals make and sell pottery. We purchase a small chameleon as our luggage is restricted but the financial gesture is much appreciated.
Finally we reach our destination – Mambo View. The view is incredibly amazing! On a clear day you can see Kilimanjaro in the distance. Now it’s time to rest and relax.

Our hike was only 3 days long but we experienced a completely different world. Usambara has beautiful nature, but we were most amazed by the hospitality of our local hosts. Such kindness to strangers that do not speak the same language and seem to have much more than them was just positively surprising. It was an adventurous but fantastic insight into their world. And there is no need to feel sorry for the lack of modern gadgets – the simple joy of the people warms your heart.

This blog post is written by Kristin, who was hiking at Usambara with her boyfriend in April 2015.

Zedio starts with a women's project and welcomes volunteers!

For over a month now NGO called Zedio (Zanzibar Educational Improvement Organisation) has been regsitered and more or less running.

Don't let the title fool you – education is seen as a rather wide thing here. Our pilot project has tarted in Matemwe village, where we gave a chance for artisan women to take part in it. We start with a group of talented and inspired women.

Women from Matemwe at a field trip in Stone Town. With designer Farouque Abdela (left in the background) and Khamis Rashid from Colors of Zanzibar the women got familiar with different workshops and products made in Stone Town.

The aim of the pilot project is to help the women to develop their products and to sell them to local hotels, hotel shops and tourists. Designer Farouque Abdela is in charge of helping the group, and there couldn't be a better person for the job. He is one of the most well-known East African designers. Also founding members of this NGO are Colors of Zanzibar and Panga Chumvi Hotel.

If this pilot project goes well, we are looking forward to expand this program to other villages. We would also like to create more products. Right now the main products are bags made out of dried palm leaf carpet (mkeka). They are beautiful, but so much more could be done!

Bags made out of mkeka. Other ones are traditional, the one in the front in the middle is a Farouque Abdela design bag. See how many possibilities this material has!

At the moment Zedio is working only with donations from theq founder members. We wish to get some outside funding in the future (any suggestions are welcome :)

Also, we would more than appreciate any volunteers with expetise in handicrafts, design, project management, brand and product marketing... anything that could contribute! We know we could learn a lot from each other. And we will of course provide help with all the practical issues.

So if volunteering in Zanzibar is on your wish list, please contact us!

Email: info (at) zedio.org
Also by emailing me or Colors of Zanzibar your message will be received by the right people.

East Africa by bus, part 2: Moshi – Arusha – Nairobi

Now in this part there are not too many things to know about the buses. From Moshi to Arusha there are bus connections all the time – just show up and pick a bus. The journey takes around 1,5 to 2 hours.

After the serene and well-planned city of Moshi, Arusha can be a bit of a cold shower since it's freezing in the mornings and the center is somehow chaotic. There are many local hotels to choose from if you're on a low budget. But there are also high-end options.

We found an amazingly beautiful hotel in the hillsaide about 20 minutes drive away. Ecologically build (but with a swmming pool), courgeos views and the most tastefully decorated lounge. This Karama Lodge hotel would be perfect for honeymooners after/before their safari.  (In the near future, we will publish a Honeymoon package where this combination will be included.)

For safaris and Mount Meru climbs, Arusha is definately the place to be. The city itself is perhaps not very interesting, but the location is amazing. And there are some activities that you can do in Arusha. Our minds were blown away by our visit to Shanga Shangaa project, where disabled people make the most beautiful handicrafts. The setting is like you just stepped to Europe – big lawn as a lounge area with nice sofas and great service. But once you see the monkeys playing in the nearby trees, you will remember you're still in Africa.

Another interesting destination within the city is a Maasai Cultural Tour in a maasai village just a bit outside the city. You can just take a tour or you can go hiking with them in the mountains for 3 days – or volunteer and stay for weeks, or months... years?

Kids in a traditional Maasai house called boma

And of course, there are the national parks like Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area just 5 hours drive away. These are some of the Africa's most beautiful safari destinations. The biggest yearly migration of the wildebeest, the ”biggest natural amphitheater” in the crater, all the big 5.

Our safari organizer, Dennis is an amazing guy who owns he's own small ecosafari company. He is born in Kilimanjaro, but knows all the national parks like his own pockets. He can also take people to visit local villages to get an understanding of the lifestyle around Serengeti.

When it's time to head to Nairobi, it's been made quite easy. There are shuttle buses which you can book from most hotels, for example from Impala Hotel. These buses will take you easily to Nairobi through the amazing sceneries. And the road is brand new! This journey takes around 6 hours or more. The good thing abut shuttle buses is also that you can get straight to the airport and some hotels before the bus goes to the city center.

If you are flying to Arusha, keep this in your mind - you might save some money by flying to Nairobi instead. But then you'll have to purchase a visa for three times. Once in Nairobi, once when entering Tanzania and once again when you're entering Kenya again. 

East Africa by bus, part 1: Dar es Salaam - Moshi

This blog has been very quiet for some time, for a good reason – we've been traveling. And now I want to share some travel tips with you.

Now in East Africa (in the world in general?) there are three main ways of transport. The most convenient one is to drive with your own car – you get the scenery, possibility to stop wherever you want and more importantly, whenever you want (toilet brakes are a bit scarse). Second most convenient one is probably flying. Not very cheap, sometimes not on time, but generally quicker than going overland. Then thirdly there's the way most of us use – bus. (There are also some train connections and of course ferries at the coast and big lakes.) Of course the good thing about buses is that they are ecological and you get to travel with locals.

You can also walk like the Maasai or bike or hitch-hike (not recommendable!) or take daladalas (local buses) from one town to the next...

Dar es Salaam skyline

Well, we took a bus to go around the region. The route was Dar es Salaam – Moshi – Arusha – Nairobi – Mombasa – Tanga – Dar es Salaam, and then back to Zanzibar. The aim of our traveling was to meet our cooperation companies and to see some hotels and tourist attractions. But there's a lot in this experience that would be valuable for anyone traveling Tanzania & Kenya by bus!

Dar es Salaam was our starting point. Now, Dar is a very chaotic city with massive traffic jams and plenty of people who are ready to ”help” you in the hopes of some extra money. As for us, we are very familiar with Dar, but less familiar with the bus companies that operate the route Dar – Moshi.

The main bus station, Ubungo, is far from the city center and in the traffic jams it might take an hour to reach the place. Also, the taxi will cost almost as much as your bus ticket. So even though the main bus station is the easiest place to find all the bus companies, compare prices and get tickets (all while at least 5 people explain to you how you should follow them and that and this bus doesn't exist), going to Ubungo is not the best choice. Then again, it is important to get your ticket beforehand, because without it you will end up in the most horrible bus that no-one wanted to book.

There is a place in Kisutu in the city center where there are several bus company offices. This is the place to go, at least if you're heading up north. You will find a square in the end of Libya Street, accross from the petrol station. Go there and ask around to make an educated choice. Dar Express wasn't good but wasn't bad either – maybe Kilimanjaro Express would have been a better choice.

It takes around 10 hours to reach Moshi, there were 2 resting stops on the way. Most buses continue to Arusha, which is another 1,5 extra hours.

Khamis in Moshi with our freshly bought ngoma (drum)

Moshi is a nice, well-organized city and therefore preferrable option over Arusha if you ask me. It's also the best place to be if you're thinking to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The mighty mountain is very near, but almost constantly covered by clouds. Hint: If you don't have time to climb Kili, you can still get near to it and enjoy some beautiful waterfalls and nature! And if you're too busy to even do that, then at least drink the beer (and if you don't drink alcohol, drink the Kili water). People in Moshi are very proud of their mountain.

There are several nice and budget-friendly hotel options in town. Also there are plenty of restaurants, and if you don't mind the taxi ride to the suburbs, you'll find even more nice restaurants and some popular bars, such as Glacier.

Kilimanjaro in the early morning, just before the clouds get to it

If you are enchanted by the mountain or just by the fact that Moshi is a nice city and the weather in there is somehow human-friendly, there are many volunteering options there. We would recommend Tanzania Volunteers.

We would have loved to stay longer in Moshi. Thanks to our wonderful host! I will come back! And climb Kili!

If you want to climb Kili, please contact Colors of Zanzibar - despite the name, we know these things. And we know the best guides now.

Jahazi – Swahili poetry, book about revolution and jazz every night.

Yet another festival posting! And there are more to come after the Water Sports Festival next weekend. After that, I promise to write about something completely different – I will give you updates from Kenya, North Tanzania and Tanzanian coast. And after that, about a TV show that we are cooperating with.

So please just forgive me for a more serious posting this time. Well, again.

Here's links and more information about Zanzibari festivals!

But back to last weekend and Jahazi. This year was the second year for Jahazi Literary and Jazz Festivals. Everything happend right here in Stone Town, which I of course greatly appreciate. During the day time there were many different discussion and reading sessions, workshops etc. Night time was reserved for jazz music from all over the world.

Now, the star visitors were Americans: Quincy Troupe, Jeffery Renard Allen and Tariq Ali. All very interesting people, but since this is a swahili culture blog, I will not write more about them. You can find someone else who does.

The two main swahili, Zanzibari even, authors were the poet Haji Gora and a writer Fatma Jinja. Both of them belong to the older generation, Gora being 70-something and Jinja 82. What's wrong with the younger writer generations? I think they are all out of the country. Zanzibaris of these days are not the most enthusiastic readers.

Haji Gora is a man whom everybody in Zanizbar knows. Especially those who still remember their school times, since his books and poetry are thought at school. This is because a) he's really good and b) he writes excellent classical swahili.

Gora on the right, Farouque on the left is translating.

Gora red some of his poems to the audience. To me as a Finnish person it was a surprise to hear him actually sing the poems more than reading them – it reminded me greatly about our Kalevala poems (also available in Swahili by the way). It turns out that Gora has a very specific rythm and form in his poems. Here, I'll give you a (very badly) translated example:

Wonder-poem

This poem is very metaphorical, for example this verse:

It is a secret inside a secret
The chameleon passed the car
When you consider this

In this poem, the chameleon represents women and car men. So nowadays women are the ones more advanced.

And this gives me a chance to talk about an advanced woman, mrs. Jinja. In the 60's she opened the first guesthouse in Zanzibar, Malindi Guesthouse. She was also in the frontline of entepreneuring women in her time, and still an inspiration to many. A mother of 10 who lost her father and husband around revolution times, she had to struggle to make her living.

Fatma Jinja on the right. Left is a Ugandan author Doreen Baingana.

At the age of 82, she's now writing her autobiography. She said it's finally a time for that, earlier she could not have done it - it would have been too sensitive subject for many. Now she plans to write down all of it – being a shirazi, the revolution, her view of president Karume. And here's the charm: this book will be in English.

At the same time, she's also still owner of a farm, anf of course a great grandmother of almost 30 children.

As a lighter ending I offer you some jazz, just like in Jahazi festivals. Here's Simon Spang-Hanssen and Rainbow Spirit from Denmark.

And as an extra surprise, a Zulu song :)

Sufi tradition in Zanzibar – Maulidi ya homu

(Posted on July 31, 2012 in Colors of Zanzibar)

 

Now it’s Ramadan month. But I will get to that later (with more experience about the subject). This time I want to tell about a performance I got to see twice just before Ramadan, which was lucky since the group doesn’t perform during the holy month.


This sufian ceremony, Maulidi ya homu, is performed by men who chant, sing, dance and play drums. Songs tell about the sufian founder and about God. The whole experience is almost hypnotising as the ceremony starts from slower chanting growing into bigger and more animated performance.

After one of the performances, audience was asked what did they feel. Love and joy was the usual answer.



This particular group has been practicing for long, as the skill goes from father to son. But not only – anyone interested is free to join the group. Maulidi ya homu group has rehersals every night, and the neighbours and others who are intrersted are free to come and see.

The cereomny has had some changes during time. Some say it used to be more serious, as now it’s actually very entertaining.

The group has some sponsors and gets paid for performing outside their own madressa (religious school), so the future of Maulid ya home looks bright at the moment!

Contact us to see a performance!