The forest beyond the national park
The Uzungwa Scarp Nature Forest Reserve sits on the eastern scarp of the Udzungwa mountains, outside and separate from Udzungwa Mountains National Park. It is managed by Tanzania Forest Services rather than by Tanzania National Parks, and the two protected areas are not interchangeable — different authority, different rules, different access.
The distinction matters more here than almost anywhere else in Tanzania, because some of the range’s most significant wildlife is on the reserve side of the line rather than the park side. TANAPA’s own management plan for the national park places almost the entire Udzungwa population of the kipunji — the monkey described in 2004 in a new genus — in the forest reserves beyond the park boundary. A visitor who goes to the national park expecting the range’s full primate list will not get it.
What the reserve holds
Tanzania Forest Services headlines the reserve with its red colobus monkeys and names, as its other attractions: black and white colobus, a range of vegetation including tall sub-montane forest, migratory birds, scenery, caves, waterfalls, and historical and cultural sites.
This is Eastern Arc forest in its least-visited form. The Udzungwa range as a whole is described in published reviews as one of the most important areas in Africa for primate diversity and conservation, and the scarp forests hold some of the rarest primates and birds in the chain. They are also, unlike the national park, without a maintained trail network.
Activities
TFS lists nature viewing, hiking, cold bathing in natural ponds, sunrise and sunset viewing, cultural and traditional experiences with the Hehe, bird watching, research, educational tours, photography and camping.
The cultural element is genuine rather than decorative: this is Hehe country, the same people whose resistance to German conquest under Mtwa Mkwawa is commemorated at Kalenga near Iringa. Village visits here are arranged locally.
For anyone whose interest is the forest and its species rather than distance covered, this is a forest walk destination. For anyone intending to cross the scarp it becomes mountain trekking, carried in and slept out.
Guides and rules
As with other TFS nature forest reserves, no published compulsory-guide or armed-escort rule could be found. That is a different position from the national park next door, where TANAPA’s visitor code states that a park guide must accompany visitors at all times in the forest and caps peak-hike groups at eight including the ranger and guide.
The practical conclusion is the same in both places: go with a guide. There is no waymarking on the scarp.
Getting there
Tanzania Forest Services describes three access routes:
- From Iringa town by road via Kilolo District, about 100 kilometres.
- From Manga town via Mapanda Ward, about 130 kilometres.
- From Mikumi town via Ifakara town and Chita.
Visitors can camp within the reserve, or stay in Iringa, Chita or Mlimba. TFS names, as nearby attractions, Kilombero Nature Forest Reserve, Nyerere and Udzungwa Mountains national parks, the Kihansi and Kidatu power stations and the Kihansi spray towers towards Mlimba, the Kalenga historical museum and the Isimila archaeological site.
That Kihansi reference is worth following up for anyone interested in conservation: the Kihansi gorge is the site of one of the better-documented amphibian conservation efforts in Africa, and it sits directly below this scarp.
When to go
Unimodal rainfall: one season from November into April or May, wetter in its second half. Forest walking holds up better in the wet than savanna driving does, and the wet season is better for amphibians, chameleons and flowering plants. The dry months from June to October give better footing on a steep scarp and more reliable access roads, which matters on a route that involves 100 kilometres of district road from Iringa. The guide to travelling Tanzania by season covers the single-season pattern the southern circuit runs on.
Where it fits in a trip
This is a destination for people who already know they want Eastern Arc forest. It is the obvious extension for anyone who has spent time in the national park and wants the scarp forests, and it works as a detour from Iringa on the southern circuit between Mikumi and Ruaha.
Reaching the scarp is the hardest part of a visit and it is a road undertaking rather than a flying one — the guide to Tanzania’s roads beyond the tarmac covers what district roads involve. It is not a substitute for the national park for a first visit. The park has trails, a guide system, published rules and Sanje Falls; the reserve has none of those and more forest.
Common questions
Is this part of Udzungwa Mountains National Park?
No. It is a separate protected area on the eastern scarp, managed by Tanzania Forest Services rather than TANAPA, with different rules and separate access.
Why go here instead of the national park?
Because some of the range’s rarest primates and birds are on this side of the boundary — TANAPA’s own management plan places nearly the whole Udzungwa kipunji population in the reserves outside the park. Most visitors should do the park first.
How do you get there?
TFS gives three routes: about 100 kilometres from Iringa via Kilolo District, about 130 kilometres from Manga via Mapanda Ward, or from Mikumi via Ifakara and Chita.
Where do you stay?
Camping within the reserve, or accommodation in Iringa, Chita or Mlimba.
Do you need a guide?
No published rule requires one, unlike in the national park. There is no waymarked trail network here, so a local guide is a practical necessity rather than a formality.