A two-hour bus ride or a two-day hike out of Lushoto sits the small ridge-top village of Mtae, perched on a finger of mountain with views down to Mkomazi National Park on one side and across to the Pare Mountains on the other. On a clear day you can see Mount Kilimanjaro from the schoolhouse.
There is one basic guesthouse, a couple of shops and a Saturday market. Most visitors come as part of a multi-day Usambara hike, sleeping in village homestays along the way. The route from Lushoto via Sunga and Mambo is one of the great walking trips in East Africa.