Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a national park in Tanzania with a size of 1,990 km^. The habitats contained within the national park include tropical rainforest, mountain forest, miombo woodland, grassland and steppe. There is a vertical height range of 250–2,576 metres (the peak of Lohomero), which incorporates the Udzungwa Mountains part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. There are more than 400 bird species, 2500 plant species (25% of which are endemics) and 6 primate species. It has the second largest biodiversity of a national park in Africa.

Udzungwa is the largest and most biodiverse of a chain of a dozen large forest-swathed mountains that rise majestically from the flat coastal scrub of eastern Tanzania. Known collectively as “Shining jewel of the Eastern Arc Mountains”, this archipelago of isolated massifs has also been dubbed the African Galapagos for its treasure-trove of endemic plants and animals, most familiarly the delicate African violet.

Six primate species have been recorded, five of which are endemic. The Iringa red colobus and Sanje crested mangabeyare only found in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park, the mangabey species was undetected by biologists prior to 1979.

Seven hiking trails

Udzungwa is a heaven for hikers. The park offers a number of spectacular waterfalls that you can visit and has an excellent network of forest trails. A popular 5 km-hike (4-5 hours) takes you to Sanje Waterfall (170 m), of which the lowermost waterfall cascades 70 m into the forest beneath, leaving a misty spray behind.

Other trails that take you through mesmerizing scenery:

• Prince Bernhard trail (1 hour)
• Sonjo trail (1 km/1 hour)
• Njokamoni trail (5 km/5 hours)
• Campsite 3 trail (14 km/1 day)
• Mt Mwanihana (38 km/3 days)
• Rumemo trail (65 km/5 days)
• The Udzungwa Mountains National Park was established in 1992, mainly due to it’s vegetational value. It covers 1,990 km2 and stretches 80 km from southwest to northeast. Height: 250 m – 2,576 m (Mt Luhomero).

Udzungwa Mountains alone among the ancient ranges of the Eastern Arc has been accorded national park status. It is also unique within Tanzania in that its closed-canopy forest spans altitudes of 250 metres (820 feet) to above 2,000 metres (6,560 ft) without interruption.

Not a conventional game viewing destination, Udzungwa is a magnet for hikers. An excellent network of forest trails includes the popular half-day ramble to Sanje Waterfall, which plunges 170 metres (550 feet) through a misty spray into the forested valley below.

Udzungwa Mountains National Park is one of Tanzania’s most outstanding, pristine, paradise and unique exciting wilderness mountains forested with greatest altitudinal range of forest. It is one of thirty-four “World Biodiversity Hotspot” and one of 200 WWF Ecoregion of global critical importance.

Ornithologists are attracted to Udzungwa for an avian wealth embracing more than 400 species, from the lovely and readily-located green-headed oriole to more than a dozen secretive Eastern Arc endemics.

Four bird species are peculiar to Udzungwa, including a forest partridge first discovered in 1991 and more closely related to an Asian genus than to any other African fowl.

Udzungwa is home to eleven types of primate and out of them, the Iringa red colobus and Sanje Crested Mangabey both occur nowhere else in the world – the latter, remarkably, remained undetected by biologists prior to 1979. The Udzungwa Tour is supported by population of elephants, buffalo, lion and leopard. These larger species tend to be found in the less accessible area of the park. The major attraction of Udzungwa National Park is biologically diverse plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds , butterfly, and insects of which some of species are found nowhere else in the world.