Coffee tours in Tanzania : There are many places in Tanzania where coffee tours can be carried out and coffee is a primary source of income for many of the people in Tanzania.
The fertile soils in Tanzania favor the growth of the coffee in different parts of Tanzania. During safaris around Tanzania, visiting the coffee farms is also part of the experience and this activity can take about half a day that is about 3 hours to 5 hours.
Coffee is among the cash crops in Tanzania and the some of the major places where coffee is grown include Moshi town which is located at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro which is the highest mountain in Africa.
The type of coffee which is grown in Tanzania is Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee. during the visit coffee tours, you get to know more about the process of coffee growing, enjoy a taste of the coffee and learn more about the coffee and all the processes it goes through from the plantation to the cup.
These tours can be private tours or be done as part of a group when exploring the plantations in Tanzania. The coffee tour can also be done as a guided tour which involves walking through the coffee farm, visiting the coffee roasting factory among other experiences.
Village walks are also part of the coffee tour experience in Tanzania such as Materuni village which is home to the Chagga, Tengeru village among others. these village tours also involve interacting with the locals, getting to know more about their culture and way of life and also experiencing many other things of the locals.
The Chagga people are known for growing coffee is Tanzania and they grow very high quality coffee in the Kilimanjaro region. Apart from coffee the Chagga also grow bananas and the plantations can also be visited during a tour around the northern part of Tanzania.
About coffee in Tanzania
In Tanzania, coffee is planted together with other crops around the fertile volcanic soils. The highest yield of coffee is got when the coffee trees are about 15 years and the yield can be up to half a kilogram.
After coffee has been harvested which can be done manually, the next process is the selection process. After the selection process, the pulp is removed and the process it goes through is referred to as the dry process where the coffee cherries are dried in the sun and when they are dry, the cherries are broken.
After the coffee has been broken, it is filled into sacks and can be sold. In towns like Moshi, these raw coffee beans are sold during the harvesting season. The final process that the coffee goes through is the roasting process and some of the ways that the coffee is roasted include drum roasting which is a traditional process which involves the coffee being roasted in a rotating drum over a flame.
The best time for the coffee tours is October and March when planting is done, February when harvesting is done especially in the lower altitudes and harvesting is done in the month of June in the higher altitudes and the plants bloom in December and the month of February is for the green beans developing.
Best time for tours in Tanzania
Tours around Tanzania are best done in the dry season during the months of June, July, August, September and October when the weather is favorable. Wildlife viewing which is among the sort after activities during safaris in Tanzania and the best months for safaris is also at its best in the dry season which is also the peak or high season.
Other destinations for day tours in Tanzania include waterfalls like Materuni waterfalls, Meru waterfalls among others. Day tours in Tanzania can also be done in Arusha national park, around towns like Moshi town and Arusha town, Tarangire national park, Ngorongoro crater, Lake Manyara national park, Olpopongi Maasai village, hot springs like Kikuletwa hot springs, Kilimanjaro national park among others.
Other attractions in Tanzania which can be visited after or before coffee tours include national parks found in the north, south, western and central parts of the country such as Serengeti national park, Ruaha national park, Nyerere national park, Tarangire national park, Lake Manyara national park, Katavi national park, Gombe national park, Mahale national park and many others.
How to move around Tanzania
There are different means of transport used during tours in Tanzania such as driving, flying, ferry or boat and also railway.
Driving is the most common way used to move from one destination to another in Tanzania and for those destinations which are far, other alternatives like flying is recommended for travel around the country.
For the case of flying, domestic and international flights are available across different destinations in Tanzania. scheduled and charter flights are available during tours in Tanzania offered by domestic airlines like Auric air, Regional air, Flight link, Coastal aviation among others.
Visit Tanzania and enjoy an experience of touring the coffee plantations during a day tour.
