Tukuyu

Tukuyu is a small, of 50,000 inhabitants, hillside town that lies about convert|36|mi|km south of the city of Mbeya, at an elevation of around convert|5000|ft|m|abbr=on in the highland Rungwe District of southern Tanzania, East Africa. The local language is colloquial Nyakyusa together with the national language Swahili. Secondary and college education is done in the English language. The people are the Nyakyusa , although localised groups give themselves different local names.

History

The town was originally the German colonial town of Neu Langenburg, named after the original Langenburg on the shores of Lake Nyassa which had to be given up due to rising sea levels. It was administered by the British from 1919 until 1961, as Tukuyu in the British Empire's Tanganyika Territory. After 1919, when the Germans left, Scottish missionaries carried on the work of their German Catholic counterparts at the Kiymbila and Itite Stations. The British established a large hospital in the town in the early 1920s, and built reliable roads and bridges. There was a small British military post some miles south at Masoko.

Topography

The dormant volcano of Mount Rungwe rises above the town, a part of the Great Rift Valley. Much of the mountain's area contains forest reserve, established as reserve by the British in 1949. Rungwe has unbroken 10m-15m closed-canopy forest up to the tree-line at 2600 m, and is home to numerous important bird species. The bamboo zone starts at 1900 metres, and bamboo wood is extensively used by local people. The mountain forest has spiritual significance for the Wanyakyusa people. The mountain features a natural bridge ("Daraja la Mungu" or the "Bridge of God") that formed around 1800 million years ago, as a result of volcanic lava outflow. Other notable topographic features are the Masoko Crater and the Kaporogwe Falls. Rungwe's ridge falls north-west to merge into the Poroto Mountains ridge. The area can produce spectacular short-lived thunderstorms. Mount Rungwe is a vital river catchment area.

To the east of the town is the Kipengere Range of mountains, better known as the Livingstone Range, beyond which the land becomes incredibly harsh and mountainous.

Infrastructure

The National Institute for Medical Research has a significant [http://www.nimr.or.tz/Pages/nimr_centres/tukuyu.html Medical Research Station there] , and there is a small Lutheran hospital. The [http://www.africabridge.org/ Africa Bridge] charity is based near Tukuyu. There is a school, the Kipande School, and several other small educational initiatives. The town is the headquarters of the Konde Diocese of the influential Lutheran Church in Tanzania. There is a Post Office.

The area has many commercial tea plantations, some coffee, and there is intensive smallholder agricultural use of the well-watered rich volcanic soils.

Tourism

The surrounding [http://www.southernhighlandstz.org/ Southern Highlands] of Tanzania make for excellent hiking and walking.

The forests are ecologically lush, have clear freshwater rivers and streams, are outside of the mosquito zone, have friendly villagers, have very few dangerous animals, and the elevated highland climate is cool. The trek to Ngozi Peak, below which is a spectacular volcanic crater lake, is popular. This lake has a local water-serpent legend, and it is possible to bush camp here overnight. The Cultural Tourism Programme of " [http://www.infojep.com/culturaltours/mbeya.html Sisi Kwa Sisi] " is based in nearby Mbeya, and can advise on possible routes, guesthouse, and a good guide, if one is planning to visit Tukuyu. In 2006 a new cultural tourism program has been set up by the Rungwe association of tea farmers (RSTGA). This program is called [http://www.rungweteatours.com Rungwe Tea & Tours] . It has an office in Tukuyu town where you can get information on Rungwe and book half day or day trips to several natural attractions in the area. It also offers a unique Tea Tour. The profits of the program will be used for village development programs, like finishing a primary school classroom. For information about Tukuyu, Rungwe and tours contact [e-mail].

The town sees around 2500 mm of rain per year, with no month receiving less than 50mm (2 inches) of rain. Rainfall and mists are common in some seasons and the nights are often cool; very-lightweight waterproofs, and a light sweater and cap are advisable in some months. (For details of the rain season months, see Mbeya).

In 2006, a [http://sitemaker.umich.edu/msasani.venture/1_06_holidays tourist diary] referred to Tukuyu as the "beautiful town of Tukuyu, which has views of the mountains dropping down to Lake Malawi".

There is an NBC bank in Tukuyu that changes traveller cheques.

Tourist travel is first to the international airport in the Tanzanian capital, then the overnight train from the capital to Mbeya, then a local vehicle to Tukuyu. There are also daily coaches from Dar es Salaam to Tukuyu (Sumry, Sabco). Tukuyu is on the main road to Malawi and there are daily connections to the Malawi border and further land inwards.

Further reading

* [http://mbeya.uwazi.com/index.php?id=253 Accommodation in Tukuyu]
* "Spirit Ridden Konde" (ISBN 0-7661-4639-1 ,1925 , 2003) by D.R. MacKenzie, someone who spent 25 years living in the area. A detailed and sympathetic account of the folklore of the Tukuyu area.