Iringa Town

The busy market town of Iringa is located town in Southern Highlands of Tanzania about 502 km away from the city of Dar es Salaam. Iringa is situated at 1635 m above sea level and is therefore cool at night. It is a very fertile area where many types of vegetables and fruits are grown. Flowers and tobacco are also cultivated. The Dabaga company food factory (which makes chilli sauce and tomato sauce amongst other things) is found here. Iringa is about 2 hours drive from Ruaha National Park and if you are planning on staying at the bandas or camping in the park this is where you will pick up supplies.

Iringa is an elegant town, with wide roads and flowers, which lies at the heart of Tanzania?s tea industry. On market day you can see a multicultural mix of expatriates, Indians, local Tanzanian businessmen and tribes people fresh from their farms in the bush all coming to town for their monthly trading. If you go shopping here, don?t forget to bargain for anything that does not have a price openly displayed. Iring is on the perched on the plateau and around a cliff above the Little Ruaha River.

Iringa town has a long history since the time of German rule in 1889. It was the center of the German army in the region during the Hehe 'maji maji' resistance to German Rule under Chief Mkwawa. Iringa is now a rapidly developing town with a population of over 200,000 inhabitants. The name ?Iringa?is derived from the KiHehe word ?lilinga?, meaning 'strong place' or 'fort'. The Wahehe in are the main tribal group found in Iringa town and its surrounding villages. The tribe is so-called because of their war cry: 'he-he-heee'. Geographically, the town is found on a latitude of 7.77?S and longitude of 35.69?E. It?s the administrative capital of the Iringa region.

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