Monduli Mountains Day Hike

The Monduli Mountains rise from the Maasai plains 45 km west of Arusha to 2,660 metres, capped in dense cloud forest that receives substantially more rain than the surrounding savannah. The day hike from Monduli Juu village ascends through coffee and maize farms into montane forest alive with colobus monkeys, sunbirds, and the rare Abbott’s starling. The summit ridge on a clear day provides extraordinary 360-degree views: Kilimanjaro to the east, the Ngorongoro highlands to the southwest, the Rift Valley floor and Lake Natron to the north. Very few tourists visit. The local guide grew up in Monduli Juu and knows every family on the mountain.