Udzungwa National Park

Is the newest park, opened to the public only in 1992, and is one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Tanzania.Covering an area of 1900 sq km., the uniqueness of this park lies in its’ biodiversity in hosting a variety of animals and plant species not found anywhere else in the world.

The red colubus and the Sanje crested manabrey, elephants, buffalos, leopards, and sable antelopes are some of the residents in this park. A good range of birdlife is present which includes Rufous winged sunbird, Iringa akalat, Lagden’s bush shrike and Udzungwa partridge.

Locals refer to the Kitulo Plateau as BustaniyaMungu – The Garden of God – while botanists have dubbed it the Serengeti of Flowers, host to ‘one of the great floral spectacles of the world’. And Tanzania’s newest national park is indeed a rare botanical marvel, home to a full 350 species of vascular plants, including 45 varieties of terrestrial orchid, which erupt into a riotous wildflower display of breathtaking scale and diversity during the main rainy season of late November to April. Park size: 442 sq km (172 sq miles)

One of the inaccessible but utterly enjoyable safari treasure lies in between Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. The Udzungwa National Park in Udzungwa Mountains is a massive turf of tropical rainforest, mountain forest, miombo woodland, grassland and steppe. And these dense biodiversity and isolation of the place is a perfect backdrop for accommodating the various endemic and non-endemic species of plants, primates, animals and birds. Away from African safari clichés, the remote mountain park is a labyrinth of forest trails which draws hikers and nature lovers to get lost in the canopy beauty of waterfalls, sugar plantations etc. to witness the wild in its natural surroundings. That is why it is used as scientific research playground. However, people fall in love with it all the time. A wild in the rugged land of mountains waiting to strip you of your senses and muzzle your speech… A wild safari within mountains of Udzungwa….

Big game is sparsely represented, though a few hardy mountain reedbuck and eland still roam the open grassland. But Kitulo – a botanist and hiker’s paradise – is also highly alluring to birdwatchers. Tanzania’s only population of the rare Denham’s bustard is resident, alongside a breeding colony of the endangered blue swallow and such range-restricted species as mountain marsh widow, Njombecisticola and Kipengere seedeater. Endemic species of butterfly, chameleon, lizard and frog further enhance the biological wealth of God’s Garden.