Magamba forest hike
The pristine forests of the Magamba region makes a perfect day’s hike from Lushoto. This is a region of substantial forest, fauna and flora biodiversity and is managed by the Tanzania Forest Service.
Our day’s hike in the forest began with a short car journey to cover the approximately 9kms to the edge of the forest from Lushoto. From the unsurfaced road around the park, we set off uphill on one of the hiking trails. Within minutes the trail went dark due to the intensity of the trees towering above. The trails were also quite muddy and at times quite slippery. We continued deeper into the forest. We were glad of our guide who had also taken us to Irente viewpoint the day before. Without him we would definitely have got lost. He also organised the permits necessary to visit Magamba forest.
We summit Kigula Hakwewa peak
About 3 hours later we reached the top of the mountain. Kigula Hakwewa peak at an altitude 1840m was shrouded in cold cloud. Sadly we couldn’t make out anything from the top and had to believe our guides description of the surrounding villages such as Kilindi village and the forest landscape.
However, along the way, we had been tantalised by the swinging high up in the tree line by a White Colobus monkey. We had just managed to catch sight of his tail as he looked down on us. The forest is also said to be home bush-pigs and antelopes amongst a plethora of birds and butterflies. We had also walked past a cave dug by the German’s during WW1 into the mountain. It was used to mine the rock bauxite the main source of Aluminium.
We returned down the mountain steeply in the opposite direction to that which we had walked up. The descent was so steep in reality we slipped most of the way down. The rain had already returned as we made it back to our car which was waiting for us.
Nangle angle
This forest walk contrasts perfectly with the Irente viewpoint walk which wends its way through the Usambara villages.
Nangle facts & tips
This walk can be done as a day trip with the Irente viewpoint walk. However we recommend spending a full day here to explore the area.
