In West Usamabaras I spent a week in October 2002. The town of Lushoto 40 km north from the main Arusha – Dar es Salaam highway is the entry place to West Usambaras. I staid in my tent at Grant's Lodge about 20 km NE from Lushoto for $10 per day including breakfast (reservation with David Scheinman, tanga4@tanga.net). Alternative accommodation is in a new hotel in the village Kifungilo 4 km NE from Grant's Lodge; reservations with Daniel Sempeho, shemweta@yahoo.com. Forests in the area are severely cut and fragmented; a car is strongly recommended to explore larger area and find relatively undisturbed forests. About 2 km NE from Grant's Lodge downstream along the lift side of the river Mkuzu is a chunk of good wet forest with almost no trails inside. The rest of the area is just one large field for vegetables and maize. West Usamabara are exceptionally highly populated. The Mkuzu river might be jumped across in narrow places and it is the washing place for the people from the villages nearby, which results in water being very oily. I trust that there are larger and less destroyed forests in West Usambaras where I did not manage to get in.
TANZANIA: West Usambara Mts. Do not be misled by this picture; most of the forest is long time gone.
