The village of Materuni is located about a 45-minute drive from Moshi, and sits at around 1,300 m above sea level. It’s one of the most visited villages in the Moshi area. The main highlight is definitely the waterfall hike from the village. But there’s plenty more to see and do.
If you combine the waterfall visit with a local coffee experience and a Chagga-style lunch, it makes for a fantastic day-trip either before or after your Mount Kilimanjaro climb or safari. You’ll learn a lot about Chagga culture, the village lifestyle, the plants and trees around here and their uses and of course, about coffee, which is one of the hallmark crops of the Kilimanjaro region.
The drive up to the village from Moshi (which is at about 800 m above sea level) is lovely too, offering a great glimpse of rural roads and village life beyond city centres.
Materuni Waterfall Hike
I recommend leaving Moshi around 9:00 AM that’s early enough to complete all activities and return before dark. Plus, the village office, where entrance fees are paid, opens at 8:30 AM, so there’s no need to arrive earlier. Of course, if you’re an early riser, you can start sooner.
No matter how you reach Materuni, you’ll need to stop at the village office to pay the entrance fee. Local transport ends here, and private vehicles typically don’t go beyond this point during the excursion.
I usually begin with the waterfall hike, as mornings are quieter and you’re less likely to meet people returning along the narrow paths. It also works better time-wise if you plan to enjoy a fresh Chagga lunch afterward. The waterfall is about a 45-minute walk from the office. However, if you prefer not to walk the entire way, you can take a bodaboda (motorbike taxi) to a point roughly 15 minutes on foot from the waterfall.
The hike itself is relatively easy, though you’ll need to be cautious after rain — good shoes are essential, and walking sticks are helpful if the ground is wet. When I organize tours, we avoid scheduling this hike after heavy rainfall, as the trail can become extremely muddy.
Materuni Village Coffee Experience And Chagga Lunch
Once you get to the waterfall you can of course rest for a while and you can even swim. But be prepared, as the water is usually super cold! You then hike back for about 1 hour, as the path goes uphill on the way back. You can stop along the way to get some local banana beer, which I’ll just describe here as having a quite particular taste
After arriving back in the village, you can head to one of the places that organizes coffee experiences. All of them offer a similar service and also prepare Chagga lunches so it really doesn’t matter that much which one you pick. There’s a few close to the office and there’s others for which you need to walk a bit more. The coffee experience is pretty fun, as the local guys will be singing and dancing throughout the whole process. You’ll process coffee beans from the first step to the last, fully by hand, and end up with a nice cup of fresh coffee.