Udzungwa Mountains

The Udzungwa Mountains are a mountain range southeast of Dodoma in Tanzania and are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains.

Flora and fauna

They are covered with tropical rainforest, mountain forest, miombo woodland, grassland, and steppe. They are home to many large mammals, including the Udzungwa Red Colobus and Tana River Mangabey, and unusual animals such as the Grey-faced Sengi. The area has extremely high biodiversity with numerous endemic species (more than 25 percent of the vertebrate species).[1] They rise to 2,579 metres (8,461 ft) at Luhombero, and 10 percent of them are protected by the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and the Udzungwa Scarp Forest Reserve.

Access

Sanje Falls

It is possible to visit the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and go hiking and trekking. The park has no roads passable by vehicle and is accessible only by foot. The trekking routes vary, from the short and easy one hour Sonjo Waterfall hike to the extremely difficult 6 day trek the Lumemo Trail. The most popular route is the Sanje Waterfalls trail, taking about four hours to complete - this trail provides visitors with access to the breath-taking views from the top of the 170m Sanje waterfall 07°46′04″S 36°54′03″E / 7.76778°S 36.90083°E and includes a swim in the plunge pools, water levels permitting.

Accommodation

Tourist accommodation within the park consists only of camping because there are no lodges inside the park itself. Next to the national park headquarters is the Hondo Hondo Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp, an ecolodge powered by hydro and solar. In the nearby village of Mang'ula, there are some local guesthouses offering budget accommodations.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Newmark, W. D., 2002, Conserving Biodiversity in East African Forests, a Study of the Eastern Arc Mountains. Ecological Studies 155. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 197

Coordinates: 07°46′S 36°49′E / 7.767°S 36.817°E

External links