Day Trip to Lake Jipe

Lake Jipe is an inter-territorial lake straddling the borders of Tanzania and Kenya. On the Tanzanian side, it is situated within Mwanga District, in Kilimanjaro Region while on the Kenyan side, it is located south of the village of Nghonji. The lake is fed mainly by the Lumi River, which descends from Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as streams from the North Pare Mountains, being on the leeward side. The lake's outlet forms the Ruvu River.

Day 1 Lake Jipe Excursion

A professional guide from Eastland Adventures will pick you up from your lodge in Moshi at 8:00 AM and drive for 3 hours to Lake Jipe. The Usambara mountains will be the background for most of the ride, offering some stunning views. After arriving at the lake, you can have a stroll through the village while the fishermen prepare their local boats.

Depending on the number of reeds that are present on the shore of the lake, this trip will be slightly different. If there are little to no reeds and you can cross easily, you’ll start the day by spending a few hours on the lake, after which there will still be some time left for a hike to a nearby waterfall. If however there are more reeds and it becomes difficult to get through, there will be no time left to go to the waterfall.

Usually, hippos and crocodiles can be seen on the Tanzanian side of the lake from June to August. You are not allowed to go to the Kenyan side of the lake without the appropriate visa, so we prohibit our local guides and fishermen to do so.

You’ll leave the area again around 3 – 4 pm to return to Moshi.

TIPS

This is a unique experience where you can do local fishing activities, meet local people and experience waterfalls in the middle of wildlife.

This is a real adventure trip, you will almost certainly get dirty in your shoes and clothes will get wet as sometimes water comes into the boats and the fishermen scoop it out as they go.

In the village, there’s a toilet available for tourists and we will supply toilet paper and sanitizers.

We recommend you to wear clothes that are allowed to get dirty. Loose trousers are not a good idea as they will hang in the water that might come into the boat whilst you sit on the very low bench.

Please wear either running shoes or waterproof shoes that can handle them.

Sunscreen, sunglasses and sun hat are recommended, as the sun is very strong and water reflects the sunlight.

NOTE: This tour can be offered with an overnight experience whereby you can camp in the village and spend more days exploring the village including hiking the local mountains.