By Marleen van Oosterhout, Maurits van der Horst, Niels Lelieveld. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Ending up at the Tukae project on Emau Hill was merely a coincidence. We didn't plan to go there, neither did we know of its existence.

During our stay on Pemba we talked to an NGO-worker and told him our plans to gradually go to Arusha via Lushoto. He told us about a guesthouse in the East Usambara Mountains where he spent some time camping in the middle of the rainforest. As we had little time, he gave us the address, quickly written on a piece of paper. We were impressed by his story about this place and decided to go there.

The piece of paper appeared to be a valuable document and came in very handy everytime the daladala (small bus) pulled over to ask where exactly Emau Hill was. We didn't share our driver's optimism about the daladala being able to make it all the way up there. Perhaps the Lonely Planet was right, we should have asked for a four-wheel drive.

But we never thought about turning around. On our way we passed through rainforest and some small villages. We noticed the climate changed from a sticky hot to a nice and cool 20°C, which was quite a relief.

Finaly arriving at Emau Hill we were welcomed by Stephen who seemed quite surprised by us turning up unannounced. We appeared to be the first ever visitors getting there by daladala. With a friendly "but I'm sure we can accommodate you" he helped us unload our backpacks.

We found out the place we selected was in fact a developmental project called Tukae, and were equally surprised. We felt very welcome and were impressed by the serenity of the place when Father Baruti took us for a walk to show us the project. Walking there in this green paradise in the late afternoon surrounded by all the sounds of the forest was quite amazing.

After having dinner we sat around the fire. Caroline and Stephan started telling us about Tukae and the people in the region. We were still trying to comprehend we were actually there. Being tourists of course we liked to see some of the environment. But we also thought about contributing to the project and making ourselves useful. We decided to do both.

The first day we had a nice walk through the mountains and the rainforest in what is called the "Galapagos" of East Africa because of the natural diversity. We saw butterflies in the butterfly farm, a waterfall, birds, monkeys, hundreds of small frogs and local agriculture.

The next day we volunteered to do small tasks. Our drawing skills were tested drawing symbols - like pictures for the kindergarten. This way the children could learn Kiswahili and English by naming the pictures on the cards.

In the afternoon Father Baruti took us to the part of the forest where the African Violet farm was. Steps were needed, so we were taught how to make those using local materials. It was quite a new experience to walk through the jungle carrying a chopping knife.

We felt reluctant having to leave again. Now, back home, I believe Emau Hill has been one of the most impressive places we have visited on our journey. The admiration we felt when we had just arrived is still there and our little fundraising-project among friends and family has just come to an end. The increase of eco-tourism will help Tukae and we are sure it will be a great experience for any visitor. Perhaps they will also realise tourists can do volunteering too, even when it is only for one day.