Udzungwa Mountains National Park
Encyclopedia
Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a national park in Tanzania
. 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 Udzunga 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.
Six primate species have been recorded, five of which are endemic. The Iringa Red Colobus and Sanje Crested Mangabey are only found in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park, the mangabey species was undetected by biologists prior to 1979.
Tourism in the Udzungwa Mountains national Park revolves around hiking and trekking, as the park has no roads and is accessible only on foot. The hiking trails range in difficulty from the short one hour Sonjo trek to the extremely challenging 6 day camping trek the Lumemo Trail. The most common walk is the Sanje Waterfalls trail which takes approximately four hours to complete and allows the visitor access to the stunning 170m waterfall and includes swimming in the waterfall plunge pools as part of the activity.
Accommodation for visitors within the park is only possible on a camping basis as there are no lodges within the park borders. Near to the park gates is the Hondo Hondo Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp
, a new ecolodge running on hydropower offering ensuite accommodation for visitors. Within the nearby village of Mang'ula there are also a couple of local guesthouses providing a budget option.
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. The habitats contained within the national park include tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
, mountain forest, miombo woodland, grassland and steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
. There is a vertical height range of 250–2,576 metres (the peak of Lohomero), which incorporates the Udzunga Mountains part of the Eastern Arc Mountains
Eastern Arc Mountains
The Eastern Arc Mountains are a chain of mountains found in Kenya and Tanzania. It comprises:* Taita Hills* North and South Pare* East and West Usambara* North and South Nguru* Ukaguru* Uluguru Mountains* Rubeho* Udzungwa Mountains* Mahenge Escarpment...
. 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.
Six primate species have been recorded, five of which are endemic. The Iringa Red Colobus and Sanje Crested Mangabey are only found in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park, the mangabey species was undetected by biologists prior to 1979.
Tourism in the Udzungwa Mountains national Park revolves around hiking and trekking, as the park has no roads and is accessible only on foot. The hiking trails range in difficulty from the short one hour Sonjo trek to the extremely challenging 6 day camping trek the Lumemo Trail. The most common walk is the Sanje Waterfalls trail which takes approximately four hours to complete and allows the visitor access to the stunning 170m waterfall and includes swimming in the waterfall plunge pools as part of the activity.
Accommodation for visitors within the park is only possible on a camping basis as there are no lodges within the park borders. Near to the park gates is the Hondo Hondo Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp
Hondo Hondo Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp
Hondo Hondo Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp is a small family-owned ecolodge bordering the Udzungwa Mountains National Park in southern Tanzania. The lodge is a growing eco-aware business which works closely with the local village community and is powered solely by a micro-hyrdo generator and solar...
, a new ecolodge running on hydropower offering ensuite accommodation for visitors. Within the nearby village of Mang'ula there are also a couple of local guesthouses providing a budget option.