MAKOA NATURE WALK:

3-4 hour program across the farm, bushland, forest and river valley, leading to hidden spots at Makoa and Kikafu rivers. Your guide will explain you the medical use of many of the plants on the way. There is a beautiful pond to swim by the river and you will be rewarded by a natural massage from the waterfall. Expect to see primates and birds during your walk, and occasionally a secret little antelope in the bush.

Guests enjoy to be accompanied by the former „companion animals“ (in the past in charge of the elephant calves and zebra foals), namely Suzie and Lieve (the black-headed sheeps) and Pina and Fridolin (the donkeys), on the walk – and they love your attention and cuddles! 

VISIT WITH OR WITHOUT HIKING TO THE HOT SPRINGS:

After breakfast, depart by four-wheel drive to the hot springs (‘Hot Springs’) south of Makoa Farm in the Masaai Steppe. Discover the surroundings on a guided walk through a biotope between various springs and rivers. Along the way we observe exotic birds, monkeys and, with a bit of luck, the shy crocodiles. It is also the habitat of various – but very shy – gazelles, striped mongooses and nocturnal inhabitants such as porcupines, aardvarks, striped hyenas.

After picnicking under huge, ancient fig trees, there is plenty of time to relax and bathe in the warm spring.

MASAAI OR CATTLE MARKET:

A traditional Masaai market offers almost everything a Masaai needs to live. Goods and bartered goods are transported from the Masaai steppe to the market on donkey back, often for several days.  A visit to a local cattle market is also very interesting. There is a colourful hustle and bustle and it is amazing that all participants always find their animals in the chaos.

VISIT TO MOSHI TOWN – THE OLD-GERMAN TOWN:

Here you can find everything your souvenir heart desires, experience the flair of the colourful market with all its local traders and local goods. Visit a leather factory where everything is handmade. Drive through the old residential quarter or hike in the Njoro Forest, an 800-hectare forest reserve. Here you can observe marmosets in ancient indigenous trees and see and learn about a bee project. A small entrance fee applies.

For enthusiastic bikers there is also the possibility to rent mountain bikes, with or without guide, in the nearby town of Moshi. Due to the location on Mt. Kilimanjaro, the terrain has many inclines, so a good general physical condition is advantageous for longer hikes or bike tours.

EXCURSION TO MATERUNI WATERFALL:

A beautiful walking area on the eastern slopes of Kilimanjaro, including a coffee tour of the village. A small entrance fee applies.

ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK:

A slightly earlier start to the day, you will drive by jeep towards Mt Meru to visit Arusha National Park. Great scenery awaits you in Arusha Park, a mountain rainforest completely different from Mt. Kilimanjaro, lakes with pink flamingo clouds and a great variety of birds, countless giraffes and buffaloes and another large number of animals.

Optional canoeing on the Momella lakes is available, and on request a game drive on foot or hike to the first lodge towards Mt Meru, accompanied by an armed ranger, can also be arranged. Game viewing from a canoe is particularly exciting and you can often get extremely close to the animals.  Entrance, activity and wildlife fees* apply (*these fees are subject to change at any time, it is beyond our control).

WEST KILIMANJARO BIG GAME:

By jeep you drive out into the savannah of the West Kilimanjaro area. This is a wildlife corridor and connects Mt Meru and Arusha National Park with Kilimanjaro Reserve and Amboseli in Kenya. There is still a considerable amount of game moving through this area, which can often be seen grazing together with the Masaai herds. Together with a ranger we spend the whole day observing game. This area is often used by elephants, furthermore we will surely meet many of the typical savannah animals: Zebras, wildebeest, eland and many other antelopes.

If you wish, you can have a special experience at sunset: A Masaai chief will show you his boma, which is the name of a small Masaai village. Afterwards we return to the Makoa farm.  Entrance, activity and wildlife fees* apply (*these fees can be changed at any time, it is beyond our control).

LAKE CHALA:

This is a crater lake in a caldera on the border of Tanzania and Kenya on the eastern edge of Kilimanjaro, not far from the town of Moshi. The national border runs through the middle of the lake, so one shore of the lake belongs to Kenya, the other to Tanzania. Depending on the season, the colour of the lake varies from deep blue to turquoise and green; it is surrounded by a 100-metre-high crater rim. The lake is fed by underground springs of Kilimanjaro and invites you to swim.

The lake is home to the endemic Lake Chala Tilapia (Oreochromis hunteri), which unfortunately is now listed as “Critically Endangered” on the Red List of Threatened Species.  Discover the surroundings of the lake on a short hike: observe the diverse bird life at the lake and watch the funny baboons at their colourful hustle and bustle.  Entrance, activity and wildlife fees* apply (*these fees are subject to change at any time, it is beyond our control).

KILIMANJARO NATIONAL PARK:

During a day hike in the Kilimanjaro National Park, a tropical flora with huge jungle trees, strangler figs and a lot of mostly very shy inhabitants awaits you. You will be accompanied by a mountain guide who will show you plants along the way and give you information about the fauna and flora of Kilimanjaro. Look out for the black and white Colobus monkeys (Guereza). Entrance, activity and wildlife fees* apply (*these fees are subject to change at any time, it is beyond our control).

INSIGHT INTO CHAGGA CULTURE:

During a village tour, a local guide will show you his village and you will get interesting insights into the life of the Chagga. The Chagga run their small farms according to a very sophisticated system.

KIKAFU HIKING:

A beautiful panorama is offered to sporty guests on a guided hike along the stream that provides the water supply for our farmland. You will walk through Chagga villages with banana and coffee plantations of the small farmers and can also visit a traditional Chagga house. 

CHAGGA COUNTRY IS COFFEE COUNTRY:

For fragrant coffee lovers, we recommend a visit to the Machare Coffee & Tea Farm. You will learn more about different types of coffee, and if you like, also tea and plantation and you can test different types of coffee and tea. (*Admission fee applies). Lunch is also served there on request and by reservation in advance.

HIKING TO …

The waterfall of the Makoa River, the cave there is home to a colony of the “Mountain Fruit Bats”, of which only two colonies are known around Kilimanjaro. You will be amazed at the noise these animals make. If we are lucky we may also catch a sight of a monitor lizard down there.

EVERY EVENING…

…You will be able to see our resident ‘bush babies’, (giant Galago) much closer as you ever have seen this species before. The nocturnal “almost monkeys” wake up in dawn and usually their first route will lead to the feeing place to see if we are waiting with fruits for them. 

MAKOA GIVES KNOWLEDGE – CHILDREN’S PROJECTS

MAKOA-WALDKINDERGARTEN:

We invite you to visit our Jane Godall’s Roots & Shoots Forest Club. Join the kids (all aged between 3 and 5 years) in the mornings on their daily playground – the large farm area with bush and gallery forest. 

CHILDREN’S SPONSORSHIPS:

With many campaigns we solicit donations and sponsorships for children of different ages. These children are very lucky to be able to attend carefully selected schools of the highest quality, which their own parents would never be able to finance.