Maasai Plains to the Usambara

Arrive in Mombo between 11 AM and 12 PM. After lunch, drive through small rice fields toward the Kisseri family's Maasai boma. You'll be welcomed with a small celebration on arrival.

Various activities are available through the afternoon — herding, helping the women fetch water, watching beadwork — and you can join in based on your interest. As the day winds down, the evening gathering begins with spear throwing and traditional dancing while dinner is prepared. For the curious, there is the chance to taste warm milk mixed with cow's blood — a traditional Maasai practice. Sleep in a tent at the boma under a remarkable night sky.

Begin the day milking the cows or sharing the family's small morning tasks. Say your goodbyes and drive up the mountain road into the Western Usambaras.

Guests in good walking condition will be dropped off to begin a beautiful but strenuous hike to the tallest waterfall in the area, with picnic lunch at the falls. After the hike, continue by car to the old German printing press at Vuga, where the original machinery is still in place. Overnight at Lawns Hotel in Lushoto.

Note: guests who'd prefer not to do the waterfall hike can join the Sakarani Convent wine tour instead, with a tasting at the winery. You'll need to choose one or the other — the two activities run concurrently.

Walk from Lawns Hotel into Lushoto town for a historical tour, then on to the Magamba rainforest. Spot colobus monkeys in the canopy, visit the WWI-era German cave and lunch at the forest peak before heading back to your hotel for a short rest.

Late afternoon, drive (or hike, if you've energy left) to the Irente Viewpoint for drinks at sunset as the sun drops over the Mkomazi plains. Return to your hotel for dinner.