Iringa General Sights

General Sights

Gangilonga Rock (or talking stone). A walk up here is the perfect remedy for a hangover, but don’t forget the sun cream and water as it gets pretty hot up in the hills. It was here that Chief Mkwawa of the Hehe tribe got visions of the nasty German colonialists coming to get him and managed to escape only to later get captured and killed. It has a great view of town, and especially of my house which is directly below it (wave to my guard). It’s a bit of a climb so don’t go trying to conquer it in impractical clothing, and be careful – at night this area is where murderers and rapists go to hide from the police so don’t get any silly ideas of watching the sunset from the rock and climbing back down in the dark! Isimila Stone Age Site. About 15 kilometres from town towards Mafinga, easily accessible by daladala (if you have a death wish) or taxi. This is one of the most interesting stone age sites in East Africa and is well worth a visit, there is a café at the site so don’t worry if you forget your cucumber sandwiches, boiled eggs and nicely chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. At Kalenga, you can go and see Chief Mkwawa’s skull which was kindly returned from captivity by the Germans, apparently it’s very exciting… (hmm), and you may find a man with the flat cap who spins a great yarn about Hehe history. (Don’t forget your kihehe greetings when you are in Iringa – Kamwene, response: Kamwene in addition to your Habari based Kiswahili greetings)