Udzungwa National Park
The Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a Tanzanian national park in Kilolo District of Iringa Region and Kilombero District of Morogoro Region. The park is mostly located in Kilolo District. It has a size of 1,990 km². The habitats contained within the national park include tropical rainforest, mountain forest, miombo woodland, grassland and steppe
About Udzungwa National Park
Udzungwa Mountains National Park is the largest and most biodiverse national park in the world. It is a chain of ten large forested mountains that rise majestically from the dense coastal scrub of eastern Tanzania. Known as the Eastern Face Mountains, the island is also nicknamed the Galapagos of Africa, due to its rich endemic flora and fauna, especially the delicate African violet.
The green and untouched forests of the Udzungwa Mountains National Park look absolutely stunning: a landscape of sun-drenched valleys surrounded by 30 m tall trees, whose slopes are covered with mushrooms, lichens, mosses and ferns.
Among the ancient mountains of the eastern arc, Udzungwa is the only one that has been given the status of a national park. It is also unique in Tanzania in that its closed high-altitude forest extends undisturbed from 250 meters to more than 2,000 meters (6,560 feet).
Although not a typical theatre, Udzungwa attracts walkers. The excellent network of forest trails includes a popular half-day hike to Sanje Falls, which drops 170 metres (550 feet) through mist into the forested valley below.
The more challenging Mwanihana Trail, which takes two nights, climbs a steep slope with panoramic views of the surrounding sugar plantations before climbing Mwanihana Peak, the second highest point in the province.
Birdwatchers are drawn to Udzungwa’s rich bird fauna, which includes more than 400 species, from the beautiful, easily recognizable greenbills to more than a dozen endemic species released by the eastern arc .
Four bird species are unique to Udzungwa, including the forest sparrow, which was first discovered in 1991 and is more closely related to Asian species than to any other African bird.
Of the six recorded primate species, the Iringa red colobus and the Sanje crested mangabey are found nowhere else in the world – ironically, the latter was only discovered by biologists in 1979.
There is no doubt that this vast forest has yet to reveal all its treasures: continued scientific exploration will surely enrich the diverse catalogue of endemic species.
Location: 5 hours (350 km/215 miles) from Dar es Salaam; 65 km (40 miles) southwest of Mikumi.
How to get there
By car from Dar es Salaam or Mikumi National Park.
It is effective
Two hours walk to waterfalls and camping safari.
Plus nearby Mikumi village, or on the way to Ruaha.
Accommodation
Camping in the park.
Bring your own food and supplies.
Two modest but comfortable lodges with private bathrooms less than a kilometer from the park entrance.
