Memories of Matema Beach

From the first time I learned about Matema Beach, while planning an academic trip, I wanted to go there. The few photos and travelers' reports I saw online inspired me, although they suggested that the journey to Matema Beach was not for the faint-hearted.

I finally got there in August this year. To my surprise, the journey was not rough. It did not take us up and down or round steep mountain slopes. The imposing and scenic mountains are in the distance, and sometimes quite close, but the road follows level ground all the way. It is best, however, to hire a vehicle as we did in Mbeya.

Seeing is believing. When you finally arrive at Matema Beach, you realize what a lovely place it is, the kind of place one wishes to visit again and again.

Having been told to make meal arrangements in advance, I did call the Lutheran Center two days before our arrival. They prepared exactly what we ordered, and the cooking was marvellous.









From the Lutheran Center main building to the lake shore, you pass this little gift shop. Here you can buy African fabrics, post-cards, and various souvenirs. You can also get drinks here.










Because our schedule was tight, we only spent some hours at Matema Beach. If we had more time, we could have easily stayed overnight. The Lutheran Center has accommodation facilities such as the one on the left.









Apart from hanging out on the beach, a great way to enjoy a stay at Matema Beach is to go on a canoe ride. On another day, I will write about our canoe trip from Matema Beach to the nearby village of Lyulilo, famous as a pottery market.