Per person, land only. Park fees included where noted.
Every guide in Moshi knows Mailisita and almost nobody sends visitors there, because Materuni is easier to sell and easier to reach. The locals call it Paradise. It is smaller, quieter, closer to town, and on most days you will share it with nobody.
Morning or afternoon: The drive is short — Mailisita sits just outside Moshi, and you are on the trail within twenty minutes of leaving your hotel. The path runs through smallholder farms first, banana and maize and coffee planted tight together, past houses where people are working and will greet you. This is not a wilderness walk. It is a walk through somewhere people live, which is a different and in some ways better thing.
The hike takes between 45 and 90 minutes depending on which approach we use and how much you stop. It is moderate: some uphill, some loose ground, a stream crossing or two. Nothing technical.
The falls themselves sit in a narrow forested cut, with a pool at the base that is deep enough to swim and cold enough that you will not stay in long. The forest closes overhead so the light comes down in patches. There is a flat area beside the water where you can sit and dry off, and it is the sort of place where people end up staying an hour longer than they planned.
Birdlife is good here — the forest fringe holds turacos, hornbills and sunbirds, and because there is rarely anybody making noise you actually hear them.
Return: Back in Moshi by early afternoon if you go in the morning, or before dark if you go after lunch.
Who this is for: anybody who has already done Materuni, anybody travelling in high season who wants to avoid the crowd, and anybody with only half a day. It is also the cheapest guided waterfall walk we run, because the driving is minimal.
What to bring: swimwear, towel, grippy shoes, insect repellent. There are no facilities at the falls at all — no shop, no toilet, no shelter. Bring your own water.