Lushoto

Lushoto is a city in the Usambara Mountains of Northeast Tanzania.

Get in

To get to Lushoto from Dar es Salaam, you can take any bus to Moshi/Arusha and get off at Mombo (4½ hr). Then take a dala or coaster up to Lushoto (1 hour, TSh 2500) Or there are a few buses that go straight to Lushoto from Dar. Ibariki Tanzania bus is TSh 12,000. Mbaruku is TSh 10,000. There are a few others, but those are the two main ones.

To come from Moshi/Arusha, you can take any bus to Dar and get off at Mombo or take Fasaha or Chakito straight to Lushoto. It’s TSh 13,500 from Moshi, TSh 14,500 from Arusha.

Get around

Get the new Tanga/Lushoto tourist guide from

See

The hike up to Irente View Point can be done with or without guides. Guides can be found at the tourist center behind the bank. The hike is 1½-2 hours to the point. There is a picnic lunch available at Irente Farm that is well worth the hike. Lunch includes fresh rye bread, seasonal fruits and vegetables, cheese slices and a herb and goat cheese spread, butter, jam, and juice, all made there at the farm. Lunch costs TSh 6,000 and does not need to be ordered in advance.

With their wide vistas, cool climate, winding paths and picturesque villages, the Usambaras are one of Tanzania’s highlights. The mountains are home to an exceptional assortment of plants and birds and representing one of the highest degrees of biodiversity on the continent.

Do

Hiking: three-day hike from Lushoto to Lukozi (Papaa Moze) Rangwi (Rangwi sisters) up to Mtae (local guesthouses) or Mambo View Point eco lodge (mid range). Guides available in Lushoto or cheaper in Mambo or Mtae.

Buy

Eat

Excellent fried chicken (TSh 2,500 with rice, beans and spinach) or fried fish (TSh 3,000) at the little hoteli next to the internet place across the street from the bank.

Drink

• New Friends, behind the bank for a reasonably priced local bar.
• Lawns Hotel, on the road into Lushoto for a fully stoked pub atmosphere. They also have satellite television for sporting events

Sleep

• Lawns TSh 12,500, food about TSh 4,000.
• Tumaini TSh 14,000, food TSh 5,000.
• MamboViewPoint, Mambo (2 hrs drive from Lushoto), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. A stunning nice place on the edge of the Usambara mountains. 
• Community Based Rural Tourism Project, [phone], [phone] , [e-mail] www.mviwata.org

Connect

Guides and tours:

• Sed Tours & Adventures Safaris, [phone], [e-mail]
• Friends of Usambara Society, [phone], [phone], [e-mail]
• Tayodea Tour Care, [phone], [phone], [e-mail]
• Community Care & Friendship Association, [phone], [e-mail]
• Mambo View Point, [phone], [e-mail]

Go next