Mount Hanang
Mount Hanang is located in the Manyara region of Tanzania and is the 3rd highest mountain in Tanzania at 3418 meters. The mountain which is the 3rd after Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru is part of Mount Hanang nature forest reserve which consists of steep slopes and an evergreen montane forest and ridges and valleys on the western side of the mountain.
Mount Hanang is an extinct volcano which is found in the eastern arm of the rift valley with an altitude range between 1860 meters to 3418 meters with vegetation types such as montane forest, bush land and grassland, thicket as well as moorland and heath.
The Mount Hanang nature forest reserve is a major water source with about 5 rivers and some seasonal streams which supply water to the neighboring Hanang district and Katesh. There are also lakes which are part of the reserve such as Lake Basotugang and Lake Gendabi which are soda lakes.
Mount Hanang which is located in Hanang district is home to the Barbaig people and the reserve acts a place of worship for the Barbaig and Iraqw people. The Iraqw people who are cushite speaking people live in the northern area of the Mount Hanang nature reserve and practice agriculture as well as pastoralism.
Wildlife species which can be seen around Mount Hanang national reserve include bushbucks, duikers, klipspringers, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, snakes and hyenas. There are also various tree species in the reserve as well as numerous bird species.
Mount Hanang is located close to Lake Manyara national park and Tarangire national park which are wildlife viewing destinations in the northern part of Tanzania. Safaris to this destination begin in Arusha town or from Babati.
Activities which are carried out around the Mount Hanang area include hiking and cultural tours as well as bird watching.
Hiking on Mount Hanang takes place on 2 different routes to get to the summit and they include the Jorodom trail, Katesh route, Gendabi route and Giting route. It takes about 5 to 6 hours of ascent and 3 to 4 hours to descend from the summit. Climbers can also choose to stay at the camp on the mountain before descending the nest day.
- Katesh route is the shortest route for hiking on Mount Hanang and it approaches the mountain from the south western side.
- The Gendabi route is very scenic with beautiful views and approaches the mountain from the north western side and starts from Gendabi village. Descend from this route also is an opportunity to explore the environment of Hanang.
- Giting route approaches Mount Hanang from the north eastern side and starts from Giting village which is about 240 km from Arusha town.
Cultural tours around the Mount Hanang area include interactions with the Barbaig tribe who are also known as the Mangati who live in the plains in the northern part of Tanzania. The Barbaig are part of the Datoga tribe and are semi nomadic pastoralists.
The Barbaig are organized into clans and their way of dressing consists of goat skin dresses which are worn by the women and the men can be seen walking around with spears. Visits to the villages of the Barbaig involve engaging in activities such as visiting the homesteads and interacting with the locals and getting to know more about their culture and traditions.
Barbaig are a Nilotic group of people who are said to have migrated south wards from the Nile valley in the northern part of Africa. They migrated south to the eastern arm of the Great Rift Valley after they were chased out from the Ngorongoro highlands by the Maasai.
They later split into groups and some people settled around the plains of Mount Hanang and this group was of the Barbaig.
Bird watching is another activity which is carried out around the Mount Hanang area which has about 400 bird species.
During safaris to Mount Hanang nature forest reserve, tourists can enjoy staying at the different lodging facilities in Katesh town such as the Summit hotel, Asmorein hotel and many others.
How to get there
Katesh is about one and half hours’ drive from Babati and can also be accessed from Karatu.
