Journey to Kilimanjaro
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Pics and Vids from the day
Chemka Hot Springs - 17th February
Written by Tina Sibley in April 2022
An Easy Day Out
We had such a great day at Materuni that we decided to go for another trip today. As it was the last day before our big hike on Kili, we opted for something that involved a lot more chilling out. It was fabulous!
About Chemka
Chemka, or Kikuletwa Hotsprings, is a paradise oasis set in the Tanzanian savannah. The crystal clear waters aren't actually that hot, but pleasant to bathe in and the pools are surrounded by lush, tropical forest.
Chemka oasis is a totally unique phenomenon – it's the only place in Tanzania (and most likely in the whole of East Africa), where the groundwater actively interacts with geothermal sources from Mt Kilimanjaro, forming a number of small lakes with pure, never-stagnating water.
The trip to Chemka
We met with the same drivers that took us to Materuni the day before and set off for Chemka which is about an hour's drive. The road, which was the main road from Moshi to Arusha, was crazy - there seem to be no driving rules here! We passed lots of school children walking along the road and they looked really smart in crisp, clean uniforms. It was so lovely as the children shouted greetings to us and waved as we passed them.
Then, after turning off the main road, we went some distance along a dirt-track but it was a really interesting drive and we saw Maasai along the way, with their herds of goats.
Paradise in Kili Waters
When we arrived at Chemka, we found somewhere to sit down and met with another guide, Sebastian, who was to look after us.
The first order of the day was to walk to the furthest pool as the current from that would take us into the main pool area.
I didn't have a swimsuit with me, planning to buy one when I got to Zanzibar, so I had to make do with the most bikini looking underwear with a t-shirt on top!
The water was lovely. It was super clear and a gorgeous bluey green colour. It wasn't as warm as the name "hot springs" suggests, but very pleasant to get into and swim in.
There weren't any people in the first pool and it was like being in a secret paradise. We swam through a tunnel of trees into the main pool area, where the current was quite strong and I drifted away, having to swim quite hard to the edge and then back up into the main pool area.
We were told all about how the waters came down from the mountain and how this was unique, not only to Tanzania, but to all of East Africa. We were also introduced to the massage fish! In the same way you get fish in a fish foot spa, there were fish who came and nibbled at your feet and toes removing any dead skin.
They actually seemed to really like me and pretty much nibbled me all over any parts of me that were in the water! It was very weird and, at first, I wasn't at all sure that I liked it. However, once I got used to the sensation, I relaxed and started to enjoy it.
There was a rope swing and a lot of the tourists as well as many of the locals were playing on it. The locals were total acrobats and swung on it from high in the trees and performed pretty spectacular dives.
Of course, I had to try the swing out - but my arm strength let me down badly and I only lasted a few seconds before having to let go and plunge into the water.
We passed a very pleasant couple of hours in the waters before deciding to sit down in the sun and have the lunch that had been provided for us.
Once again, the lunch was a good packed lunch with chicken, potatoes, vegetables including green beans, an egg, a fritter, some mango juice and some chocolate.
After lunch, I found a tree to sit on and enjoy the tropical surroundings. I was visited by a gekko and some monkeys also came scampering across the trees above us.
After sunning ourselves and relaxing, we decided to head back to the hotel so we could begin preparing for the big day ahead of us tomorrow and get ready for our welcome meeting at 5.30pm. I also took the opportunity to get the guys help with buying a local sim card that I could use.
Preparing for the Big Kili Trip the following day
The journey back was made really special because, as we arrived at Stella Maris and drove past the school, the children were out and gave us an amazing welcome. They cheered and waved and came over to bump fists with us. It was really beautiful.
After we got back, it was lovely to have a shower and start going through all the kit in preparation for climbing Kilimanjaro.
I was getting pretty excited and was looking forward to meeting everyone else and finding out more at our briefing meeting.
