Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Udzungwa Mountains National Park

The park is located in Tanzania. The park has been in existence for over 23 years. It’s located 60 km south of Mikumi National Park, and it covers 1990s km, and it’s composed of tropical rainforest, miombo woodland, mountain forest, grassland, steppe, and making it part of the Eastern Arc mountains that possess a vertical height range of 250-2576m at Lohomero peak. The mountains have wonderful views of waterfalls that you will enjoy during a hike. To add to the above, the park has 400 bird species, 6 primate species, 3 endemic reptiles, 70 species of spiders, and 2500 plant species and wildlife. The park has the second largest biodiversity in Africa. A visit to this park exposes you to a number of activities, and you will be rewarded with an adventurous safari. In 2015 the park was rated as the 3^rd best park to visit in Tanzania. Schedule to visit it and you won’t regret it.

The park has other wild animals that you will get to see. These include; wild dogs, leopards, lions, elephants, sable, bushbucks, eland, Abbot’s duiker, palm civets, rock hyrax, Kiplinger’s, honey badger, and miombo gents, among others. These will be seen during hiking, guided nature walks, or during bird watching. You will take photos or videos of them.

Size of Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a national park in Tanzania with a size of 1,990 km². The habitats contained within the national park include tropical rainforest, mountain forest, miombo woodland, grassland, and steppe.

Location of Udzungwa Mountains National Park

The Udzungwa Mountains are a mountain range in south-central Tanzania the Mountains are mostly within the Iringa region south of Tanzania’s capital Dodoma. The Udzungwa Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains and are home to a biodiverse community of flora and fauna with large numbers of endemic species.

The mountains are home to the Hehe people and the name Udzungwa comes from the Kihehe word “Wadzungwa”, which means the people who live on mountainsides. Iringa is the largest settlement in the mountains and the regional headquarters.

How to access the park

The park can be accessed by road and railway transport but if you book a safari with Wilderness Explorers Africa all your services will be included

Road transport

It’s better to use buses that depart from Dar es Salaam to Ifakara via Mang’ula. These leave Dar es Salaam between 6:30 am and 10 am and also pass by Mikumi from 10:30 am to 2 pm. The charges are affordable. There also other means of transport in other towns to the park.

Railway transport

Their train departs from Dar es Salaam from 3 am and stops at Mang’ula, and from here it will take you 30 minutes to reach the park.

Things to do in Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Sanje Waterfalls

The park has many waterfalls that you will see once you visit and take a hike but the most pleasant is Sanje. It lies at the highest peak of the mountain. At Luhombero’s peak lies these breath-taking waterfalls. Below them, there’s a collection of clear water from the falls, where you can take a swim. You may also take a moment to enjoy the environment as you listen to the wind.

Mountains Hiking

The highlight of the area is these mountains. You will enjoy hiking and the adventure on these grounds. The mountain is easy to climb even for first-timers. On top of the highest peak, you will be amazed by the clear views of the surroundings. At 2576m lies Luhombero peak, which will reward you with great scenery of vegetation, forests, wildlife, birds, among others.

Bird watching

The beautiful park is a home for a number of birds which include; Eastern arc, Ruppell’s vultures, Rufous-winged sunbird, malachite kingfisher, trumpeter hornbill, crowned eagle, woodland kingfishers, crowned eagles, Udzungwa partridge, silver cheeked hornbill, green-headed Oriole, francolin, among others. These and more will be enjoyed in their favorite places, or during any activity in the park with the help of binoculars. The peak of this activity is in the wet season when migrant birds visit the park.

Primate trekking

The park is a home for these unique creatures which include: Iringa red colobus and Sanje crested Mangabey, yellow baboon, Vervet monkey, black and white colobus monkey, among others. You will enjoy trekking these creatures and also have a moment to see their way of life. Guides will lead you in this activity which will grant you a wonderful experience.

Mwanaluvele Salt Cave

These caves are located along the border of the park, north-eastern side. The most pleasant thing once you visit these caves is that you will be rewarded with great views of birds, wild animals, plants, among others. You can visit them at any time of the year except in the rain that runs from March to June.

When to visit the Udzungwa Mountains National Park

The park can visit any time of the year but the best time to visit is during the dry season, that is: from June to October.

The weather during this season is sunny almost throughout, the grasslands in the park are short and the trees aren’t so thick. The season favors primate trekking and other wild animals in the park can be seen easily.

Where to stay in Udzungwa Mountains National Park

The available and high recommended lodges in the Udzungwa national park include

Udzungwa Forest Lodge

Located on the slopes of Mountain Udzungwa. They have 40 en-suite rooms, double rooms, king-size beds, triple rooms, 3 medium size beds, and rooms are air-conditioned. They have a constant power supply, a swimming pool, a restaurant, and a bar.

Udzungwa Falls Lodge

It’s located in Msolwa Ujamaa Village. It comfortable place for vacation and a perfect place for honeymooners.

Important information

Below are some of the must-haves once you visit this park. Items include warm clothing, light clothing for the hot days, gloves, hiking boots or shoes, notebook, drinking water, a guide book, hat, a pair of binoculars, snacks, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, a camera, and a backpack-water resistant, among others.