After visiting Isimila Stone Age Site, we parked for the night at The Old Farm House, about 35 kilometres from Iringa. It is supposedly a great stopover with a farm shop and an excellent restaurant. Perhaps that was true before Covid, but today it feels like little more than an overpriced campsite close to the road. They initially quoted USD 13 per person; after some discussion, we paid TZS 20,000 per person. They also wanted to add a 2.5% surcharge for credit card payments, which is quite unusual in Tanzania.
The following morning, we continued our 280-kilometre journey to Mbeya along the Tanzania–Zambia Highway (T1). Although the road is fully paved and generally well-maintained, the drive took us 8.5 hours due to numerous speed bumps and the many slow-moving trucks on the route.
The journey is nevertheless highly scenic, passing through the spectacular landscapes of the Southern Highlands, with lush forests, winding mountain roads, and several steep descents. Police checkpoints are frequent, but they mainly focus on commercial vehicles and on enforcing the 50 km/h speed limit.
