Udzungwa Mountains

Udzungwa Mountains National park (UMNP) was established in 1992. the park was formed from fire forest reserve established in the 1950s, Mwanihana, west kilombero seep, Nyanganje, Matundu and fall iwonde forests reserves scientists believe that their forests survived for over 30 million years and were once connected to the forest of congo basin and west Africa the park was inaugurated in 1992 by WWF founder and president at that time prince Bernhard of Netherlands.

Udzungwa mountains national park is one of Tanzania’s most outstanding and exciting wilderness area, with unique wildlife species inhabiting this altitudinal range of forests udzungwa is known as the primate park and currently, there are 12 species of primate, The park is also treasured for the high level of biodiversity of plants and animal. The park has a high density of endemic species, with some plants and animals found nowhere else in the world, making it center of endemism.

The name udzungwa came from the kihehe word Wazungwa, which means the people who live on the side of mountains the last areas of the Udzungwa mountains are still pristine, where man has not disturbed the earth and its natural communities due to taboos and cultural beliefs, not much research has been done in these mountains and the new species that continue to be documented promise further.

The park is a part of Eastern arc mountains that stretch southern Kenya’s Taita hills to Makambako gap in southern Tanzania. Udzungwa mountain national park is located in south-central Tanzania with an area of 1990 square kilometers of which 80% lie in Iringa region while the remaining 20% is found in Morogoro region. The park borders Mikumi national park in the northeast, so serve in in the east beyond Kilombero valleys, Great  Ruaha river in the north and Rupia in the south.

The tropical forest of the udzungwa mountains has 12 primates species including two found nowhere else in the world, such as Sanje mangabey,( Cerocobus sanje) and Iringa Red colobus(Galagoides orinus) and the recently discovered monkey Kipunji.

Udzungwa is made for Hiking and climbing on trails through the rain forests and along the escapments. The plateau is natural tower top, with views of sugar plantations against a patchwork of grassland and mountain forest extending over 100 kilometers.

But the centerpiece is the Sanje River which reinvents itself into a spectacular waterfall, plunging 170m  through the forest to land in mist in the valley