“At the foot of these Kilimanjaro waterfalls, Chagga farmers grow coffee in the mountain's volcanic soil and roast it by hand, songs and all, for visitors.”
About Materuni Waterfalls
The Materuni area has long been farmed by the Chagga, one of Tanzania's most prosperous farming peoples, who terraced Kilimanjaro's fertile slopes for bananas and, later, coffee. As trekking tourism grew around Moshi, the village opened its waterfall and coffee culture to visitors, creating community-run tours that share both the landscape and the farming way of life.
What Materuni Waterfalls is
The Materuni Waterfalls are a tall, single-drop cascade on the lower southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, near the town of Moshi. Set among lush rainforest and the coffee farms of the Chagga people, the falls plunge into a cool pool at the base, reached by a green walk through banana groves and plantations.
The Materuni Waterfalls are a tall, single-drop cascade on the lower southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, near the town of Moshi.
Coffee on Kilimanjaro's Slopes
The falls sit in the centre of Chagga farming country, where the rich volcanic soil and high rainfall of Kilimanjaro's flanks make ideal conditions for coffee. A visit is usually paired with a Chagga coffee tour, where farmers show the whole process by hand, from picking the red cherries to roasting and grinding the beans, often with traditional songs. The hike to the falls and the coffee experience together make a popular day trip from Moshi.
The Experience
You walk through banana plantations and coffee farms to the foot of the falls, where a high ribbon of water drops into a chilly plunge pool that the brave can swim in. The coffee tour that usually accompanies the hike is the highlight for many, a hands-on, sociable session of picking, roasting and tasting with a Chagga family.
Why It Matters
Materuni offers an accessible taste of life on Kilimanjaro's slopes, combining natural beauty with the living farming culture of the Chagga people. As a community-run experience, it channels tourism directly into a mountain village and showcases the coffee that the region's volcanic soil makes possible.
Materuni offers an accessible taste of life on Kilimanjaro's slopes, combining natural beauty with the living farming culture of the Chagga people.
Why Visit
A beautiful Kilimanjaro waterfall and an authentic, hands-on Chagga coffee tour, an easy and rewarding day trip from Moshi at the mountain's foot.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Pair the falls with a Chagga coffee tour, the highlight for most visitors.
- 2
The plunge pool is cold but swimmable for the hardy.
- 3
Wear shoes with grip; the forest path can be muddy.
- 4
It is an easy day trip from Moshi, the Kilimanjaro trekking base.
