ATTRACTIONS

Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a national park in Tanzania with a size of 1,990 km2 (770 miles2).[2] 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. Location: Five hours (350 km/215 miles) from Dar es Salaam; 65 kms (40 miles) southwest of Mikumi.

UDZUNGWA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK day trip

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 170 m waterfall and includes swimming in the waterfall plunge pools as part of the activity. What to do: From a two-hour hike to the waterfall as well as camping safaris. Combine with nearby Mikumi or en route to Ruaha. Possible all year round although slippery during rainy seasons. The dry season is June-October before the short rains however be prepared for rain anytime.
How to get there:
Drive from Dar es Salaam or Mikumi National Park.
Accommodation:

Inside the park: Camping inside the park. Bring all food and supplies. Two modest but comfortable lodges with en-suite rooms within 1km of the park entrance.