Day Trip · 1 days · Private or group
Materuni Waterfalls and Chagga Coffee Day Trip
The shorter version: the walk in to Materuni Falls and a full Chagga coffee morning, back in Arusha by mid afternoon.
- Duration
- 1 days, 0 nights
- Group
- Private or group
- Activity
- Waterfall walk and coffee farm
- Starts
- Arusha
- Ends
- Arusha
- Best months
- All year. The falls run hardest from March to May.
The same waterfall and the same coffee as our longer day, without the drive down to the springs afterwards. You are back in Arusha by mid afternoon, which makes this the easier option if you are flying that evening or starting a safari the next morning.
Materuni sits at about 1,400 metres on the southern foothills of Kilimanjaro, in Northern Tanzania. The village grows coffee and bananas on the same ground, and the walk in to the falls goes straight through it.
Adding a park to the same trip? tell us your dates and we build the week around it.
Trip highlights
- A forty-minute walk through Chagga shambas to the base of Materuni Falls
- Swim in the plunge pool, or sit on the rocks with the spray coming off it
- The full coffee process, done by hand, from the tree to the cup you drink
- Lunch cooked in the village
- Back in Arusha in good time for an evening flight
Day by day
Day 1 Morning: the drive up and the walk in
Pickup between 07:30 and 08:30 and about an hour and a half to Materuni village. Your guide walks with you to the falls through banana, coffee and avocado, explaining what the Chagga grow together and why. Time at the water when you get there.
Meals: Lunch
Day 2 Midday: coffee, lunch, and back
Back up to the village for the coffee: picking, peeling, roasting, pounding and brewing, all of it by hand and most of it done by you. Lunch is cooked in the village. We leave in the early afternoon and have you back in Arusha by around 15:00 to 16:00.
Meals: Lunch
What is included
Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Arusha
- Private 4x4 with fuel and a licensed English-speaking driver-guide
- Materuni village and waterfall entrance fees
- The coffee experience with a Chagga family
- Lunch
- Drinking water
Not included
- Flights, visa and travel insurance
- Drinks other than the water provided
- Tips for your guide and the village hosts
- Anything personal
Before you travel
Pickup and meeting point
We collect you from your hotel, guesthouse or Airbnb anywhere in Arusha town, and from Usa River and the Kilimanjaro Airport road on request. Give us the property name when you book and we confirm the pickup time the evening before. Drop-off is at the same address unless you tell us otherwise.
What to bring
Shoes with grip. Swimwear and a towel if you intend to get in. A light rain jacket, because the hill makes its own weather. Cash if you want to take coffee home.
Safety
Swimming is at your own risk and there is no lifeguard at either the waterfall pool or the springs. The water is cold and the rocks are slippery, so we go in slowly and we do not dive. Tell your guide before you set off if you are not a confident swimmer, and he will keep you to the shallow end. Children stay with an adult in the water at all times. You travel in a maintained 4x4 with a licensed Tanzanian driver-guide. Seat belts are fitted in every seat. We carry a first aid kit and drinking water, and the guide stays contactable through the day. Travel insurance is not included and we recommend you arrange it before you come.
Questions about this trip
What time are we back in Arusha?
Usually between 15:00 and 16:00. It works before an evening flight, though we would not cut it finer than a 20:00 departure.
Is lunch vegetarian friendly?
Yes, and we can cover most diets if you tell us when you book. The village cooks it fresh, so we need the notice.
Can we add the hot springs?
Yes. That is our Materuni, coffee and Chemka day, which runs nine to ten hours instead of six to eight.
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Book this trip
Three short steps. We reply with a costed day-by-day itinerary for your dates. Nothing is confirmed and no payment is taken until you are happy with it.