In the southern part of Tanzania, the Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a lovely place to visit. It lives in a tropical jungle, a mountain and miombo forest, grasslands, and steppes. Over 400 kinds of birds, a thousand kinds of plants, and six kinds of monkeys live there. The Iringa red colobus and the Sanje crested mangabey are two of the rarer monkey types. You can only find these two kinds in this area. This park has the second most types of plants and animals in Africa, after Udzungwa. One of the most interesting national parks in Tanzania to visit!

Wildlife in Udzungwa

There are many kinds of animals in the Udzungwa Mountains. They are home to many animals, such as the Abbott’s duiker, the Kipunji, and some very strange animals, like the grey-faced sengi. The woods along the southern cliff are home to elephants. There are also six kinds of registered primates that live in Udzungwa National Park. Red colobus and Sanje crested mangabeys can only be found in this area. They don’t live anywhere else in the world. Surprisingly, scientists had not found the second one until 1979.

The Kihansi spray toad lives near a Kihansi River waterfall. In 2009, an upstream dam changed its environment, and it went extinct for a short time in the wild. Scientists were able to safely reintroduce them after breeding them in captivity.

There are birds in the park.

There are more than 400 kinds of birds in Udzungwa Mountains National Park, which is why bird lovers will want to visit. Bird watchers think it is one of the three best places in Africa to protect birds.

The African marabou, the Crowned eagle, the Ruppell’s vulture, and the African hobby are all bird species that live in Udzungwa. The Francolin and Rufous-winged Sunbird were only found by scientists in the past few years. The Dappled mountain-robin, Sharpe’s akalat, Olive-flanked robin-chat, and White-chested alethe are some of the other species that live there. The Udzungwa forest partridge was only found in 1991. It is a species, and the hill partridges of Asia seem to be its closest cousins.

The weather in Udzungwa

Most of the rain falls in the wet season, which lasts from March to May and starts in November. At higher levels, mist and light rain can happen during the dry season. Wherever you are, the temperature is cooler. During the wet season, you shouldn’t go to the park. From June to October is the best time.

Time it takes to get to Udzungwa National Park
It takes 6 hours to get from Dar Es Salaam to Udzungwa.
It takes 1.5 hours to get from Udzungwa to Mikumi.
6-7 hours by car to get to Ruaha
Our experts have given us travel tips for Udzungwa.
I work as a guide at Udzungwa National Park and my name is Harrison. I’ve been here for 9 years. A lot of people come here to see the birds, especially the rare Iringa red colobus.

How long are you staying? 1-2 days

Which hotel?

There is a Silver Udzungwa Falls Lodge, a Hondo Hondo Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp, and a Sanje Waterfall in Udzungwa.

Aside from birdwatchers, Udzungwa is a great place for walkers. You can only get to Udzungwa National Park on foot because it doesn’t have any paved roads. The famous half-day hike to the Sanje Waterfall, which drops 170 meters through a misty spray into a wooded valley below, is part of a great network of forest trails. It is one of Tanzania’s bigger waterfalls, and the thick rain forest hides it from the rest of the world.

Other things to do:

Drumming in the Ngoma style
A walk of the Ifakara market
A trip through Mang’ula village and dugout canoeing on the Kilombero River
A walk of a rubber plantation
The falls of Prince Bernhard
The Sonjo Waterfalls