Udzungwa Mountains Park, Tanzania: A Complete Safari Guide

A Comprehensive Guide to Udzungwa Mountains Park, Tanzania. Udzungwa Mountains National Park was founded in 1992 and encompasses an area of 1990km2. Geographically, 20% of the total area is located in Morogoro region while the rest 80% is in the southern highland region of Iringa. The name “Udzungwa” is derived from the word “Wadsungwa” which was the name of one of the local sub tribes of the “Hehe” people who used to live in the slopes of the mountains.

Udzungwa National area houses one of East Africa’s largest forests and the biodiversity of the area is the most important draw for visitors. The diversified habitat is tropical rainforest, mountain forest, Miombo woodland, grassland and steppe. Its main drawcard is its biologically diverse forest, which boasts several plant species found nowhere else in the world, from a tiny African violet to 30-metre high trees.

Udzungwa National Park is a treasure-trove of stunning alpine landscapes, meadows, boulders, rivers and waterfalls and a unique array of flora and fauna.

Wildlife seen in the park include elephant, leopard, bush buck, duiker, palm civet, Miombo genet, elephant shrew and hyena. Apart from the wild creatures the park also harbours certain specie of primates. The Iringa red colobus and the Sanje crested mangabey are uncommon among monkeys.

The park is also a pleasure for bird-lovers with more than 400 kinds of birds. Common birds include crowned eagles, ruppells vultures, woodland kingfishers, silvery cheeked hornbills marabous, malachite kingfishers, trumpeter hornbills.

Your travels can be customised to your travel interests, what you want to see and the time of year, so don’t hesitate to tell your operator exactly what you want in your Tanzania Safari.