Lushoto thrives on flow of German tourists who retrace historical ties

Formerly known as Wilhelmstal or William’s Valley, an ode to German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II, Lushoto has welcomed many German tourists who are curious about their shared history. 

The Usambara Mountains, the scenic landscape known for its biodiversity, attracted the Germans, who decided to settle there. Even today, the mountains remain a top-notch tourist attraction centre.

Mr Mahmoud Kiungulia is a tour and mountain guide based in Lushoto. He has been doing it for more than five years. Apart from studying tourism for three years in college, he derives most of his knowledge from talking to the village elders, whose oral education has enriched his understanding of the region.

He knows the area like the back of his hand; he knows the on-and-off season. He said towards the end of June, that’s when they see a rise in the inflow of tourists. Noticing that many come from Germany, most of them follow their history in the region. The mountainous region was so important as a strategic location that they made it their ‘colonial hill station’. If you walk around Lushoto, you will see some of the ancient architecture resembling that in some German cities.

The cold weather and lush green environment made the place ideal for the Germans to settle in. In 1885 the Germans arrived in the Tanga region, but they were stationed in Mombo and other low-lying areas where they started sisal farming.

While malaria was already endemic among the locals, it became a serious epidemic for the German settlers, who lacked immunity, leading to scores of deaths. 

As they were grappling with the cure, their first decision was to move to the higher grounds where mosquitoes would likely not invade, and that’s how Lushoto became the transition to their new centre.

The West Usambara mountains and their surrounding areas became their new home; they constructed roads and buildings. Indeed, the relocation saved lives, but couldn’t cure some of their children who were already infected with malaria, and most of them ended up being buried in the mountains; their grave site is still there today, a reminder of a tragic time.

The house they built for their governor, who also had to move to Lushoto, is still standing today, and the Tanzanian government still uses it. Tea farming flourished in Handeni in East Usambara, while pine and tree planting, and apple and peach farming, did well in Lushoto.

The Germans introduced terrace-style farming to the locals who had been affected by soil erosion. Their interaction with the locals is evident in some of their bloodlines; it is thought that the Muller family, who run a popular Muller mountain lodge, are descendants of Germans. “There are several villages, like in Mguzi; if you go there, you will see children who still carry the German blood,” Mr Mahmoud said.

The tour guide has taken many Germans up the mountains. They come for the weather, he said. They like the mountains that stretch across several regions, and they prefer hiking across the many mountains that are a part of the ancient Eastern Arc Mountain, also referred to as the ‘African Galapagos’.

So far Mahmoud has received positive feedback from the German tourists; their word of mouth has helped bring in more Germans, increasing their workloads and income.

He hopes this history, though complicated, will not be buried, and generations will be told of it, and more Germans will be encouraged to visit Lushoto and improve tourism in Lushoto.

Hoping that their involvement in Lushoto will go beyond tourism and invest in the education and health sector in the area to amend their colonial imposition while also acknowledging the cultural imprint in the area.

Mr Mahmoud narrates the sensitive history to the tourists he guides, carefully discussing the past but also speaking of the beauty of the history that binds the two nations together.

Some tourists would contribute to the local communities, buying goods for orphanages in the area as a way of atoning for the past but also helping the locals.

Tourism has helped change lives in Lushoto, and more young men like Mahmoud are getting jobs as tour guides, chefs and drivers working for tour agencies.

Not all of the German history in the region is grim. Lushoto was one of the earliest regions in Tanzania to have schools, and though they were established to benefit Germans and their rule, the education system helped educate the locals. Even one of the oldest hospitals was built in Tanga.

They built infrastructure that was left behind after their departure. Their imprint in the Kiswahili language is also vivid; words like ‘shule’, which is ‘school in English, are derived from the German word ‘Schule’, meaning the same thing. Some areas in Lushoto have maintained their German names, like ‘Dochi’, which is believed to be the locals’ swahilised version of the word ‘Deutsch’.

He hopes more effort will be put into marketing tourist attractions present in areas like Lushoto: “The northern circuit, Arusha, and Moshi are known worldwide; now is the time to show the hidden gems, and that’s what Lushoto is,” he said.

Many tourists who visit the Usambara Mountains are often surprised and taken aback by the scenic view. They wonder why it’s not promoted as one of the selling points of the country; they speak of repeatedly coming to Tanzania and going to the same places while places like the Usambara mountains remain hidden.

One of his clients had to be told by his friend in Kenya to visit Lushoto, but he couldn’t find the area advertised in any of the materials marketing Tanzania’s tourism attractions.

Most of the marketing Usambara receives is on the brochures at Tanzania’s embassy in Germany. Some of the tour guides in Moshi and Arusha have started to take their clients to Lushoto after exhausting all the attractions in their region. “There is a lot to do in Lushoto: hiking, cultural tourism, bird watching, and much more,” he said. “The only challenge here is the lack of flights connecting major airports,” he added.

The airstrip in Mombo was closed, and he hopes with the spike of tourists they will reopen it. With its unspoiled beauty and breathtaking landscape, Lushoto will amaze even a seasoned tourist. You can hike along the waterfalls or across the Usambara Mountains or walk through all the ancient buildings and get to witness a preserved history.

Mr Mahmoud hopes to visit Germany and market the Usambara Mountains, not just as a scenic landscape but as a living, breathing evidence of cultural cohesion, the proof of history and human resilience. But as an ideal hikers’ paradise.