Together Mikumi National Park and Udzungwa Mountains National Park are two small gems of the Southern safari circuit.

Get ready for the experience of a lifetime in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park. Beneath towering trees alive with spongy fungi, golden slants of sunlight and tumbling waterfalls you can discover a world straight from the pages of a primeval mythology book. There is a strange and enchanting aura in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park as delicate flowers burst to life, primates scream from trees and the landscape glows with a myriad of green and blue hues.

The mountain ranges that stretch over this piece of pristine paradise have gained it the reputation as being the Galapagos Islands of Africa. It is called this because of the tropical abundance of flora and fauna that populate the crystalline mountains whose history spans back to ancient times. Rainbow colored butterflies dance in the air, lizards pitter patter across the mossy ground and tremendous exotic flowers drip their sweet scent into the atmosphere.

For travelers who have had their fill of big game spotting this environment allows you a parallel viewpoint of Africa’s diverse landscape, from lush thick tropical forests damp with rain to dry woodlands bathed in hazy sunlight, this is a side of Tanzania that simply can’t be overlooked. That’s not to say that big game isn’t on offer as this is the location that has it all, you can still spot tall and proud eland antelope, elephants, lions and wild dogs. The highlight of the Udzungwa Mountains National Park is catching a glimpse of the two main native primate species; the Sanje crested mangabey and the Iringa red colobus.

Streams and waterfalls cut through the thick forest vegetation. Brooding and primeval, the forests of Udzungwa seem positively enchanted: a verdant refuge of sunshine-dappled glades enclosed by 30-metre high trees, their buttresses layered with fungi, lichens, mosses and ferns.

The intriguing aspect of The Udzungwa Mountains National Park is that the great forest has yet to reveal all its treasures: ongoing scientific exploration is expected to reveal further flora and fauna to be explored by avid hikers.