WELCOME TO KILIMANJARO SAFARIS LODGE
Kilimanjaro Region
The region has a remarkable landscape, beginning with Mount Kilimanjaro,
moving down the slopes to the flat plains south of the mountain
then eastwards where you encounter the Pare Mountains. The Mkomazi
Game Reserve lies behind the Pare Mountains. West from the Pare
Mountains, you look over what seems to be everlasting flat plains,
the Maasai Steepe, one of the places where the Maasai live. Discover
for yourself the diversity in landscape, people and culture of the
Kilimanjaro region.
People of Kilimanjaro
Although the town of Moshi itself is home to a range of different
people, the Kilimanjaro region is predominantly made up of the Chagga,
who reside on the slopes of Kilimanjaro and the Pare whose home
is the Pare Mountains.
The fertile volcanic soil and reliable rainfall on the slopes of Kilimanjaro has probably always been a draw for human settlement. The Chagga are Bantu-speaking agriculturalists whose ancestors probably arrived in the area in the 15th century. The Chagga had no tradition of central leadership. Up to 100 small chiefdoms existed in the mid 19th century. Their efficient and industrious farming skills meant that they have always produced a food surplus and subsequently have a history of trading with the Maasai and other local groups, and later with Arab caravans.
Chaggas remain self sufficient for basic foodstuffs and today the mountain is scattered with family smallholdings that produce a variety of subsistence crops. The major cash crop is coffee, which was introduced during the colonial era and has been grown by small scale farmers who sell through a co-operative. The main agricultural activity is still coffee and some of the finest Arabica in Tanzania comes from the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Coffee growing is the livelihood of thousands of people. The Chaggas have a reputation for industriousness, and today many of Tanzania’s political and business leaders come from Kilimanjaro.
