The woods of Udzungwa look almost magical. They are dark and wild, with sun-dappled glades surrounded by trees that are 30 meters (100 feet) tall and covered in fungi, lichens, mosses, and ferns.
Udzungwa is the biggest and most biodiverse of a group of 12 large, forested mountains that rise dramatically from the flat coastal scrub of eastern Tanzania. This group of islands is called the Eastern Arc Mountains, but it has also been called the African Galapagos because it has so many plants and animals that are only found there, like the tiny African violet.
Only Udzungwa, one of the Eastern Arc’s old mountain groups, has been made a national park. It is also the only closed-canopy forest in Tanzania that goes from an elevation of 250 meters (820 feet) to above 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) without stopping.
Even though Udzungwa is not a typical place to see wildlife, tourists love to go there. The famous half-day hike to Sanje Waterfall, which drops 170 meters (550 feet) through a misty spray into a forest valley below, is on one of the best networks of forest trails.
The more difficult two-night Mwanihana Trail leads to the high plateau, which has great views of the sugar fields around it, before going up to Mwanihana peak, which is the second highest point in the range.
Ornithologists go to Udzungwa because it has more than 400 kinds of birds, from the beautiful and easy-to-find green-headed oriole to more than a dozen shy Eastern Arc endemics.
Four bird species are only found in Udzungwa, including a forest partridge that was first found in 1991 and is more closely related to a group of birds from Asia than to any other group of birds from Africa.
The Iringa red colobus and the Sanje Crested Mangabey are the only two primate species that live nowhere else in the world. In fact, scientists didn’t even know about the Sanje Crested Mangabey until 1979.
Without a question, this huge forest hasn’t shown us all of its secrets yet. As scientists continue to study it, they will surely find more unique species that live only in this forest.
Activities and attractions available in Udzungwa National Park
• From a camping safari to a camping trip that takes two hours to get to the waterfall.
• Combine with Mikumi, which is close by, or while traveling to Ruaha.
