Nestled on the lush southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, the village of Materuni is home to the Chagga people — one of Tanzania's most industrious and culturally rich ethnic groups, renowned for their centuries-old coffee-growing tradition. This full-day experience combines two of the area's most beloved attractions: the spectacular Materuni Waterfalls, a thundering 70-metre cascade hidden within tropical rainforest, and a hands-on traditional coffee-making experience that takes you from cherry to cup using methods passed down through generations of Chagga farmers. The day begins with a scenic walk through banana and coffee plantations with Kilimanjaro rising dramatically above, descends into a pristine river gorge to reach the waterfall for swimming and relaxation, and continues with an immersive coffee tour where you'll pick, pulp, roast, and grind your own coffee beans entirely by hand before enjoying the freshest cup of coffee you've ever tasted. A traditional Chagga lunch is prepared and shared in a village home, giving you a taste of local hospitality that goes far beyond any restaurant meal. This tour is the perfect add-on before or after a Kilimanjaro climb, a relaxing counterpoint to a multi-day safari, or a rewarding standalone experience for anyone visiting the Moshi area.
Swim beneath a tropical cascade
Traditional Chagga method, cherry to cup
Walk through banana & coffee plantations
Traditional lunch in a village home
Materuni Waterfalls and the coffee tour are available year-round, though the experience varies beautifully with the seasons. The waterfall is most dramatic during and just after the rainy seasons — March through May and November — when the increased water flow transforms the cascade into a thundering, powerful spectacle. However, the trail to the falls can be slippery during heavy rains, so sturdy footwear is essential. The dry months of June through October and January through February offer easier walking conditions and the most pleasant temperatures for the plantation walk and outdoor coffee processing. Coffee cherries are harvested during the main season from October through February, making this the ideal time to experience the full bean-to-cup process with fresh cherries straight from the bush. During the off-harvest months, the tour uses stored dried beans for the roasting and grinding demonstration. Morning departures are recommended year-round to enjoy cooler temperatures for the walk and to reach the waterfall before other visitors.
Your day begins with an 8:30 AM pickup from your Moshi hotel or lodge. The drive to Materuni Village takes approximately 30 minutes, climbing the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro through increasingly lush and verdant countryside. Even the drive is scenic — the road winds through smallholdings of banana and coffee, with Kilimanjaro's cloud-wreathed peak (weather permitting) dominating the skyline. Upon arrival in Materuni, your Chagga guide welcomes you and begins the walk through the village's extensive banana and coffee plantations. Your guide explains the intercropping system that the Chagga have perfected over centuries — how banana trees provide shade for coffee bushes, how the leaf litter creates natural mulch, and how this multi-layered agriculture sustains the community year-round. The walk is gentle and takes about 45 minutes, descending gradually through the plantations toward the river gorge.
The trail then drops more steeply into the tropical gorge, following a narrow path through dense rainforest with ferns, mosses, and towering fig trees. After about 20 minutes of descending, the vegetation opens and the Materuni Waterfalls reveal themselves — a spectacular 70-metre cascade plunging from the cliff above into a deep, clear pool surrounded by lush greenery. The spray creates a perpetual mist that sustains a micro-ecosystem of ferns and orchids on the surrounding rock walls. You'll have ample time to swim in the refreshing pool, sit on the rocks and absorb the raw power and beauty of the falls, or simply relax in this extraordinary natural setting. The water is cool but not cold — perfect for a dip after the walk. Your guide allows 45 to 60 minutes at the waterfall before beginning the return climb to the village.
Back in the village, the coffee experience begins in earnest. If visiting during harvest season (October–February), you'll pick ripe red coffee cherries directly from the bushes, learning how to select only the perfectly ripe fruit. Your guide then leads you through every step of the traditional Chagga coffee-making process: pulping the cherries by hand to remove the outer skin, fermenting and washing the beans, drying them in the sun, roasting them in a pan over an open fire while the aroma fills the air, and grinding them in a traditional wooden mortar using a pestle. Finally, the ground coffee is brewed in a clay pot over the fire and served — the freshest, most flavourful cup of coffee you will ever taste, made entirely by your own hands using methods unchanged for generations. Your guide explains the cultural significance of coffee in Chagga society — how it was historically used in ceremonies, how the German colonial period transformed production, and how the community is reclaiming traditional methods today.
A traditional Chagga lunch follows — typically featuring banana stew (ndizi), grilled plantains, beans, fresh vegetables, and chapati, all prepared in the village home over a wood fire. This is simple, delicious, authentic food shared in a family setting — not a restaurant meal. After lunch and farewells, you'll drive back to Moshi, arriving around 3:30 PM with the rest of the afternoon free. If you're climbing Kilimanjaro the following day, this is the perfect way to spend your pre-trek afternoon — a gentle walk, fresh air, and a memorable cultural experience.
All prices are per person and include round-trip transport from Moshi, Chagga guide, waterfall entry, coffee experience, and traditional lunch. No hidden costs.
| Group Size | Price per Person |
|---|---|
| 1 person | $305 |
| 2–3 people | $275 |
| 4+ people | $265 |
| Children (under 12) | $140 |
Book the Materuni Waterfalls & Coffee Tour with any Kilimanjaro climb and receive a 15% discount on the day trip — the perfect pre-climb activity! Also combinable with the Maasai Cultural Experience for a full cultural day at a combined discount.
Nashivai Safaris partners directly with the Materuni Village community. A portion of every tour fee goes to the village development fund, which has supported clean water initiatives, school improvements, and sustainable farming education. When you purchase coffee directly from the village, 100% of the proceeds stay with the farming families — no middlemen, no export markups. Your visit helps sustain a community that has been growing coffee on Kilimanjaro's slopes for over 400 years.
Fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), approximately 40 km from Moshi and 60 km from Arusha. International connections are available through Qatar Airways (Doha), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam), Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa), and Kenya Airways (Nairobi). Airport transfers to Moshi hotels can be arranged — the drive takes about 45 minutes.
We pick up from any hotel, lodge, or guesthouse in Moshi town or the surrounding area. Pickup time is 8:30 AM, and you'll be dropped back at your accommodation around 3:30 PM. If you're staying in Arusha instead of Moshi, we can arrange pickup with a supplemental $20 transfer fee each way — please request this at the time of booking. The drive from Moshi to Materuni Village takes approximately 30 minutes up the slopes of Kilimanjaro.
The essentials for this tour are simple: sturdy shoes with good grip (the waterfall trail can be slippery), swimwear and a towel if you want to swim, a lightweight waterproof jacket during the rainy season, sunscreen and a hat, a camera, and cash if you'd like to purchase village-produced coffee. No special equipment is needed. The walk is moderate — comfortable walking shoes or light hiking shoes are sufficient. The village is at approximately 1,300m altitude so the climate is pleasant and warm but not hot.
Most nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival at JRO for USD $50 (USD $100 for US citizens). A valid passport with at least 6 months remaining is required. No special permits are needed for the Materuni visit — all village and waterfall entry fees are included in your tour price. Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if arriving from endemic areas.
Arusha, Tanzania • Established 2015
Nashivai Safaris works directly with the Materuni Village community to offer this experience on terms that benefit local families. Our Chagga guides are from the village itself — they know every trail, every family, and every story. The coffee you process and drink is grown on their own farms, and when you purchase coffee to take home, the proceeds go directly to the farming families without middlemen. We believe that tourism should enrich communities, not exploit them, and this tour is a model of how a simple day trip can create meaningful economic opportunity while preserving cultural traditions.
The Materuni Waterfalls are one of Kilimanjaro's best-kept secrets — a 70-metre cascade in a tropical rainforest gorge that rivals anything you'll find in East Africa. Swimming beneath the falls in the crystal-clear pool is an unforgettable experience.
This isn't a coffee tasting — it's a hands-on journey from picking cherries off the bush to drinking your own hand-roasted, hand-ground coffee. The traditional Chagga method is entirely manual, entirely authentic, and produces coffee unlike anything you've tasted.
Schedule this the day before your Kilimanjaro climb for a gentle, grounding experience on the mountain's slopes. The altitude adaptation is modest but helpful, and the relaxed pace is the perfect mental preparation for the challenge ahead.
"This was honestly one of the best day trips I've ever done anywhere in the world. The waterfall took my breath away — walking through the rainforest gorge and then suddenly seeing this enormous cascade in front of you is magical. I swam in the pool and could have stayed for hours. But the coffee experience was the real surprise — I had no idea how involved the traditional process was. Picking cherries, pulping them by hand, roasting over the fire, grinding in the wooden mortar... it took about an hour and a half and I loved every minute. The coffee itself was incredible — rich, smooth, and somehow tasting better because I'd made it myself. Our guide Grace was warm, knowledgeable, and so proud of her village. We bought a kilo of their roasted coffee to take home and it's already gone."
— Mike & Linda T., United States • November 2024"We did this the day before our Kilimanjaro climb and it was the perfect way to spend our pre-trek day. The walk through the banana plantations was gentle and beautiful, the waterfall was spectacular, and the coffee experience was fascinating. Our Chagga guide explained how the banana-coffee intercropping system works and why it's been so successful for centuries. Roasting and grinding the coffee by hand was surprisingly meditative — and the taste! Nothing I've ever bought in a shop comes close. The traditional lunch was simple but delicious, and eating in a village home with the family was so much more meaningful than a restaurant. Nashivai coordinated the timing perfectly with our Kili climb."
— Anna K., Germany • January 2025