Things to do in Moshi

Materuni is a Chagga village on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro, about 40 minutes from Moshi. The walk to the waterfall takes around 45 minutes through farms of banana, avocado and coffee, with the mountain above and the plains below. The falls drop about 80 metres into a pool you can swim in. The water is cold.

Most visits pair the waterfall with a coffee tour in the village. You pick the cherries, pound and roast the beans by hand with the farmers, singing the songs that go with the work, and drink the result. It is the best coffee experience in the area and the money goes to the family.

Allow a full morning or a half day. Bring walking shoes, a swimsuit and a rain layer. The path is steep in places and muddy after rain. It is the most popular day trip from Moshi for a reason.

Marangu is a town on the eastern side of the mountain, about 40 kilometres from Moshi. It is the start of the Marangu route and a good place to see how the Chagga people live on the mountain.

The Chagga caves are tunnels the Chagga dug in the 1800s to hide from Maasai raids. A short tour underground explains the history. Nearby, a traditional Chagga homestead shows the round banana-thatch houses that families lived in with their cattle.

The Ndoro and Kinukamori waterfalls are short walks from the village. Banana beer, brewed locally, is offered at most stops.

Have a look at Marangu Gate itself if you are not climbing. It is the oldest of the park entrances, with a small display about the mountain. A visit to Marangu fills a full day from Moshi.

Moshi is small enough to walk. The centre is a grid of streets around the clock tower, with the market to the south and the old railway station to the east. The market sells fruit, spices, fabric and coffee, and is calm compared with Arusha.

Coffee is the local product. The Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union, the oldest coffee cooperative in Africa, has its headquarters and a café in the centre that serves coffee grown by its members. There are several other cafés where climbers gather before and after.

The Kilimanjaro views are best early. From the road north of the centre, or the roof of any taller hotel, the whole mountain shows on a clear morning before the cloud builds.

Rau Forest, on the edge of town, is a small reserve with a walking trail, birds and colobus monkeys, and a giant fig tree said to be the largest in East Africa. A half-day walk with a local guide.