Travel Guide Iringa

502 km south-west of Dar es Salaam, on the main Tazara line, Iringa is a rather pretty town, set at an altitude of 1,600 m on a small rocky plateau overlooking the Little Ruaha River. The region is fertile, producing tobacco, corn, fruit and vegetables. It is also an important center of tea production in Tanzania; on market days, the mix of expatriate populations and local tribes makes the air in Iringa exciting. The buildings of Old Boma, the Town Hall, the hospital and the post office bear the mark of Germanic influence. The town, with its beautiful jacaranda avenues, has also preserved some colonial houses from the German era, with a few arcades, and the Iringa fort, built in 1896, two years after the Germans captured the Kalenga fort, to combat the ongoing Hehe guerrilla war. This ethnic group, still in the majority in the savannah-covered highlands of the region, takes its name from its battle cry. During the tribal wars of the 19th century in particular, they had to fight the Gogos to the north and the invading Ngonis to the south. Not far away, it's worth stopping off at Isimilia, an important prehistoric site surrounded by impressive red earth erosion pillars. But above all, Iringa is a good base for visiting Ruaha National Park.Kalenga lies a dozen kilometers south-west of the center of Iringa. This stronghold was built by Chief Mkwawa, whose tribe revolted against German hegemony, and whose head was put on the line with the promise of a 5,000-rupee reward. The fort's main feature is a 13 km-long, 4 m-high wall. It houses the grave of a German soldier, Maas, who died during the fighting. The fort can be visited by bicycle from Iringa.