Materuni Waterfalls at Kilimanjaro

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you think of a waterfalls; Even that, a waterfall that you have never heard of before? Is the waterfall worth seeing? What is the scenery like? Is the hike/walk difficult? Can you swim in the waterfalls? So many of my questions; but no answers! These questions filled my mind as I made my way to the village of Materuni in the morning; I was very excited as all the questions would have their answers soon. Getting to the place where the hike was about to start, I got out of the bus, ready to start the adventure, but brrr… a cold breeze hit me and I quickly put a sweater on! It was cold up there because of the village being located on a high altitude. The cold didn’t stop me from being excited about what the hike and what the waterfalls would be like, I was still excited, but with a sweater on! The most popular waterfalls within the Kilimanjaro region is Marangu Waterfalls, so hearing of Materuni Waterfalls was exhilarating, not knowing what this mysterious waterfalls would be like.

Scenic walk to Materuni Falls

A few people who had been to Materuni Falls already had told me about the hike to the waterfalls. I was so ready for a hike, when we started the hike which we were told that the hike would take about 50 minutes to 1 hour depending on the walking speed of each individual. I wouldn’t really call it a hike but a scenic walk rather. A long scenic walk, into the untouched nature, fresh air to breathe, cool breeze blowing and greenery that soothes the eyes is the best view to see in the morning. As the walk went on the body started getting warmer and off the sweaters went. The walk is very refreshing, away from the city, the cars, the noise, the pollution, in fact it’s the complete opposite, here you feel at peace, you appreciate nature, you listen to the sounds of the birds, the sound of the waterfalls from a distance. You are sure to explore beyond the horizons of the city and what nature can truly offer.

Materuni Falls

Approaching this 80M high Materuni falls is an absolute bliss. You can hear the sound of the waterfall from a distance before even arriving at the base of the waterfall. This is where the walk gets a little tricky as the splashes from the waterfall make the ground muddy and slippery. The sound of the water splashing is very soothing, what is a cherry on the cake is the greenery around the waterfall. It is as if the waterfall is situated amidst rich green hills. This sight is very picturesque so make sure to go with a camera and some plastic to save your camera from getting wet. The water at the waterfall is COLD. This water comes from the Mt. Kilimanjaro’s melted ice, making it very cold, despite this; many people enjoy swimming in this water as a way of getting refreshed from the 1 hour walk to the waterfall. You can even choose to go there with picnic lunch and enjoy your packed punch with this great view. The walk back is just as exciting as the guides show you all the different plantations around. Materuni area is known to depend on its coffee. Thus the trail passes through many coffee plantations. Besides the obvious coffee plantation, they also have other crops such as bananas, maize, spinach…

Coffee Plantations

As I mentioned earlier, the Materuni village depends mainly on Coffee. The coffee plantation is a great place to visit. The guide can take you to the coffee plantation and explain the different stages of what coffee beans go through before becoming the coffee in your cup. After this you can choose to manually grind the coffee like women in that areas traditionally do. This is a great one day activity place.

Want a day away from the chaotic city life? Want to experience the sounds of nature? A day at Materuni Falls is the answer!