Materuni is the day walk from Moshi: through a Chagga village, down to a waterfall, and back via a cup of coffee that you watched being made. It is not inside the Kilimanjaro park gate.
- Where
- South-east slopes of Kilimanjaro, near Moshi
- Kind
- Village walk and waterfall
- From Moshi
- Under an hour to the start
- A usual visit
- A full day
- You can
- Swim, if the pool is running
- Park fees
- Not a Kilimanjaro National Park entry
A village day on the mountain
Materuni is a Chagga village on the south-eastern slopes, close to Moshi. The walk uses farm paths, banana groves and forest to a waterfall in a small gorge. On the way back, or before you start, a family shows the coffee process: picking, pulping, roasting on a pan, and a cup. It is a real farm visit, short, and better than it sounds when written down.
It is the day we suggest when someone has one day in Moshi and does not want to spend it in a vehicle. It is also the kindest day after a long flight, before a Kilimanjaro briefing.
When to go
Mornings are clearer. The path is walkable all year and slick in the long rains, when the falls are at their strongest. June to October and the drier weeks of January and February are the simple choice. If you are already in Moshi in April, go anyway and wear shoes you can afford to muddy.
BestGoodQuieter or wetter
What to pair it with
Chemka hot springs is the other Moshi day, and the two together make a gentle weekend. A Mkomazi safari is the day for someone who would rather see animals than a waterfall. Do not try to put Materuni and a game drive in the same date. The drives point in different directions.
Packages that include Materuni Waterfalls
These are the trips in our list that spend time here. A price is the starting price of that trip. A sample trip is a plan we can run. The camps and the price are confirmed when you ask.
-
Materuni Waterfalls & Coffee Tour - Full Day1 day · from $132 -
Materuni Waterfalls & Coffee Tour: Day Trip from Moshi1 day · from $85
Questions people ask
- It is a few hours on village paths, downhill to the falls and uphill back, slippery after rain. Anyone who walks regularly will be fine. Anyone who has just come off the summit should wait a day and then decide.
- There is a pool under the falls when the water is behaving. After heavy rain it can be too strong. The guide on the day makes that call. Do not treat the swim as the thing you paid for.
- No. You stay in farmland and forest below the national park. For a walk that enters the park, look at the day hikes on the Kilimanjaro pages. For this waterfall and the coffee, book the day from Moshi.
References
The facts on this page were checked against these sources and written in our own words. Gate hours, fees and wildlife numbers change. We link the authority instead of printing a figure that will go stale.
- Kilimanjaro's lower slopes, in our climb guide
- Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA)
- Mount Kilimanjaro, Wikipedia
- Tanzania Tourist Board
Last reviewed 2026-10-28.
