Times in Tanzania: West Mt. Kilimanjaro: Farmstead

Mt. Kilimanjaro is behind those clouds.

Over the weekend we took a trip up to a farmstead located in the western side of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We had heard mixed reviews about the place, though one thing was consistent in that everyone raved about the food. The farm mainly grows wheat and barley and they also have a relatively small vegetable garden where they grow a variety of veg. The farm is huge with over 7,500 acres and it is situated between the forests of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the cleared agriculture plains below.

The farm is about a two hour drive from Moshi and it is a bit of a boring drive through a very arid landscape. It is very dry this time of the year so the unpaved road brings a constant stream of dust and when another car passes in the opposite direction, a dust cloud engulfs the entire road. Still, the landscape is nice in a savanna sort of way and as you slowly climb the mountain the national park is visible and the area becomes more forested and wetter.

One thing that always shocks me is the extent of which land has been cultivated on Kilimanjaro. Tanzanian farmers have proven to be extremely robust and not discouraged by steep hillsides. Whenever I've gone up the mountain, I've seen every bit of land cultivated right up to the boundary with the national park. You can't blame the farmers as the land is extremely fertile with rich volcanic soils, moisture from the mountain, and cooler temperatures. Although the park was gazetted in 1973, this included only above the treeline, and it was only in 2005 that the remaining montane forest and surrounding area was included.

Anyway, when we arrived at the farmstead the area proved to be massive. The grain fields have an admittedly nice aesthetic feel and the extended scenery was breathtaking with views of Mt. Meru and the plains between Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru (they are only 80km [50miles] from each other). The "main house" at the farm was very quaint and the garden was spacious and well landscaped which created a kind of oasis for many different species of beautiful birds.

There were a few houses that could be rented in this area but we opted to camp, which was about 7km (4 miles) away. It was a bit odd because the entire drive was through grain fields. There were a few parcels with a tree buffer line, but not many. The "camp" area was a kind of satellite house on a parcel that was fenced in with a large yard. There was a toilet and shower with hot water (important that high up!) though there lacked a fire pit. The main house on that parcel was also being occupied by a party of the owners that evening so it wasn't exactly the optimal time to have gone, and certainly didn't result in a "camping" kind of experience.

As promised, the dinner and breakfast were superb, albeit expensive. Still, fresh farm ingredients really made the difference as the food wasn't anything extravagant or relying on a variety of imported ingredients.It was interesting to observe some of the farm activities and to see how they integrated the tourism into their operations. It also lacked a colonial feel, which was one of my main concerns when I first heard about it.

We spent the day birding and immediately went to the border of the farm with the national park. We find some trails and even bumped into a ranger outpost with two Kilimanjaro National Park rangers. We told them we wanted to go hiking to watch birds and they said we were welcome, there were a few trails. They asked if we were related to the farm owners and we informed them we were just guests. I thought it was odd that they were so inviting to hike in the fringe area of the park since I've only been told that you MUST have proper permits. The paths weren't too extensive but it was nice to spend some time in the forest and walk a bit.

The next morning we went on their "river trail" which was a very short walk down to the river. The opposite side of the river was the national park and the area was very lush, though a very narrow strip of buffer zone from the farm side. The river had some old, yet still in use, irrigation systems and a path followed the river to a swimming spot nearby.

Overall, the farm experience was interesting, though I'm not sure if we'd return. I can't say enough about the food but aside from the average birding, there isn't much to do there. Even with the birding, we were lucky because it was an overcast day so the temperature was comfortable; if the sun were shining I'm sure the birding would not be as fun!