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Written by Anette Murless
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Sunday, 11 September 2005 15:32 |
| Visitors are finding their way to Irente Farm in
the Usambara Mountains in increasing numbers. Visitor numbers for July and
August 2005 have more than doubled compared to the same months in
2004.
Who are these visitors and why do they
find Irente so attractive?
|  Mkuyo Lodge |
| They include expatriates and Tanzanians
working in the urban centres of Tanzania, who come up for a break from the heat
and humidity and the hustle and bustle. Lots of young volunteers working in
Moshi for example, have discoverd that the rates for rooms at Irente suit their
pockets. Other young people, who are travelling around East Africa for two or
three months, enjoy hiking around the mountains, and of course Irente farm is on
the way to the Irente view point. Then there are the overlanders, who arive in
impressive jeeps and are either heading south to Cape Town or north to
Europe. | | More and more travellers are attracted by the high
quality farm produce sold at Irente. Cheese-starved Frenchmen are
ecstatic to find such tasty cheese. Around lunch- time large groups of walkers
are often found sitting down to a healthy lunch in the shade of makuti.
Before leaving they may stock up from the farm shop. | | The manager, Peter Murless, is overjoyed at these
developments, as it show that funds invested in developing eco-tourism are
showing rewards; and this puts the farm on a sound financial footing. The farm
has embarked on a program of biodiversity restoration; in other words replanting
patches of indigenous forest to attract more and more birds, insects,
butterflies and small reptiles; which hopefully will attract even more
inquisitive eco-tourists! |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 11 September 2005 15:39 )
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