Galapagos Island Of Africa Udzungwa Mountains Tanzania

T he draw to this wonderful        only found in Southern Tanzania.   park is the diversity of        However, most of these are not     flora and fauna and the         present in large numbers and       remote almost inaccessible            visitors will have a hard time     forests. There are no roads in        spotting these game animals in     the park, you have to be prepared     this Park. A park ranger and/or    to do lots of hard hiking, and        guide must accompany all hikers.   indeed this is a hiker's                                                 paradise.                             There are ten species of primates                                        found only in this park, these     It is remarkable that these           include the sanje mangabey, the    forests have remained untouched       red colobus monkeys and the        before they received National         nocturnal Matundu Galago,          Park status. This is due largely      discovered in 1996.                to traditional taboos and beliefs                                        that kept the local people from       Udzungwa has the richest forest    destroying and clearing these         bird habitat in all of Tanzania.   forests. There are important          Several species peculiar to this   natural caves in the park - which     park have recently been            are of a significant cultural         discovered - including a new       importance. There are many plant      species of francolin and the       species found nowhere else in the     Rufus-winged sun bird. Many        world including over 160 medical      regard the Udzungwa forests to be  plant varieties.                      among highest-ranking                                                    destinations for bird watching in  The Udzungwa hosts animals that       Africa.                            are found in most Tanzanian parks                                        including elephants, buffaloes,       The Park was created primarily     lion and leopard; also including      for the plant life and the         the African wild dog, which is        rainforests are a big attraction   in this park. The park has            level. With Mount Mwaniahana       stunning scenery especially in        rising to 2700 meters above the    the rainforest and wooded             forests. This mature [Parinari     grassland that include many           Excelsa] rainforest is well the    rivers and waterfalls. The Sanje      adventure of getting there. The    waterfalls has three tiers to its     hiking in the park is quite hard   spectacular drop starting at a        and a low pace is recommended.     height of 200m, to 160m and then                                         to 130m before finally crashing       The Lumemo Trail is sugested for   down to the bottom.                   hiking in this park and a                                                description can be found in my     The lowland rainforest are 250        article The Lumemo Trail: A        meters above sea level and reach      Tanzanian Wilderness Experience    up to moist cloud forest at           for the Practiced Hiker.           around 2000 meters above sea           About the Author: Bethel Adventures is using tourism to fund Community Initiatives in Northern Tanzania. We are busy at present building a nursery school in Arusha. http://www.betheladventure.co.uk Using tourism to change lives. Source: www.isnare.com