4-Day Usambara Cultural Hiking

The Usambara Mountains are among the oldest mountains in Africa and part of the Eastern Arc chain. They rise sharply from the plains near Mkomazi in the north-east of Tanzania and remain one of the least-visited highland areas in the country. This four-day itinerary is a highland hiking and cultural tour based in Lushoto, the old German colonial hill station at 1,400 metres.

The trip combines rainforest walks, escarpment viewpoints, cultural village visits and a rest day for the coffee, cheese and healer visits that Lushoto is quietly famous for. The signature walk is the Irente viewpoint, where the escarpment drops 1,000 metres to the Mkomazi plain below - a two-hour stroll perfect for the first afternoon. The full day hike ventures into the Magamba rainforest and adjacent villages of Vuli and Kwemzitu with a local cultural guide.

Long-established community tourism programmes in Lushoto mean that guests spend real time with local families, in their homes and on their farms. Lunches are prepared in family kitchens, coffee is roasted and tasted in the village where it was grown, and the Irente farm on the edge of town produces some of the best cheese in East Africa. This is not a wildlife trip - Usambara is a rainforest and culture trip, and one of the most rewarding low-key experiences in the country.

Combines beautifully with a Mkomazi safari (2 hours' drive west) or with a Tanga/Pangani coast extension.