Dubbed the African Galapagos, Udzungwa Mountains and its endemic plants and animals is not a place to be missed on your big trip to Tanzania. Being the largest and most biodiverse forest of a chain of a dozen forest-covered mountains, Udzungwa makes a delightful hiking experience with many trails to choose from.
Being a lover of nature and long walks, hiking and trekking is very dear to our hearts here at Travel Tanzania. Last year we did a 3 days and 2 nights combination trip of safari in Mikumi National Park and hiking in the Udzungwa forest. After a few days of sitting in a safari car, getting to hike in a lush forest and swimming in the pools of a waterfall is really welcomed. We did our safari and hiking together with Kanuth Adventure Safaris, a safari tour operator which has experienced tour guides who were dedicated to making our trip unforgettable. We hiked the 4h trail to see the 170 m tall Sanje falls, which is the tallest waterfall in Tanzania national parks. It is mandatory to be accompanied by a guide in order to hike any of the trails in Udzungwa mountain. You are not allowed to walk by yourself because it is a national park. Because we hiked together with Kanuth, guide fees and entrance fees to the park was included in our package price. Below is a list of prices for park fees as well as the package deal with Kanuth adventure safaris.
Note: Safari package prices change depending on how large your group is. The larger the group, the less expensive per person it becomes since you will be sharing the fixed costs such as car hire and guide.
Our hilarious guide Huston who has been working in Udzungwa for seven years, told us many interesting facts about the faun and flora during the hike and he even made us some bracelets out of dried and fresh twigs! I think I still have one till this day. Huston was also the first guide to notice that from a distance Sanje falls is shaped like the continent of Africa, and it was so beautiful to see it from the first view point. Can you see how the boulders are shaped like the African continent?
“Huston was also the first guide to notice that from a distance Sanje falls is shaped like the continent of Africa, and it was so beautiful to see.”
There are many different trails to choose from. There are one day long hikes as well as trails which require several days of hiking and camping. You can choose what is best for you depending on your interests and time constraints. Read more about the different trails you can hike and trek here. Mang'ula A (bigger town) and Mang'ula B (smaller town/village) are the towns closest to Udzungwa National Park and an appropriate place to find accommodation if you are not camping inside the park.
Kanuth Adventure Package Prices
3 nights/2 days for Mikumi Safari (day: 1-2) and hiking up Sanje Falls (day 3) is $620 per person for two people at budget accommodation (Staying at Twiga hotel) traveling private. All park fees, guides, meals, water (no soft drinks or alcohol) and transportation to and from Dar are included in this price.
3 nights/2 days for Mikumi Safari (day: 1-2) and hiking up Sanje Falls (day 3) is $760 per person for two people in midrange accommodation (Staying at Hondo Hondo tented camp) traveling private. All park fees, guides, meals, water (no soft drinks or alcohol) and transportation to and from Dar are included in this price.
Note: If you travel with a larger group the prices will drop and if you only want to to visit Udzungwa, the prices will also drop of course. Contact Kanuth Adventure Safaris here to enquire about price quota for your specific needs.
Are you looking to visit Udzungwa without a tour company?
How to get there
By Bus: Take a bus traveling via Morogoro, Mikumi. town and finally Mang'ula. You may have to change a bus at some point. The bus ticket is around 20,000 tsh for a safe bus company. Most buses leave from Ubungu bus station around 6.30 am. Book and pay your ticket at Ubungo a couple of days early to secure a spot. When you arrive at Ubungu bus station men will approach you trying to sell you tickets, make sure you get a look at the quality of the bus before you purchase any ticket so that you get on a safe looking bus. From Mang'ula you can hire a motorbike taxi or a bajaji (tuktuk) to take you to the Udzungwa national park headquarter entrance gate to pay park fees etc. If you arrive very late hire a room in one of the guest houses in town.
By private car: Start your trip from Dar es Salaam early, preferably before 6 am. Take the Morogoro road out of Dar es Salaam, and continue for around 4-5 hours through Chalinze, Morogoro and Mikumi National Park until you reach Mikumi town. Continue all the way to the small town Mang'ula B using google maps or gps. The Udzungwa National park Entrance is only 1,5 km away from Mang'ula B.
By Train: Take the Tazara Rail from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya. Get off at the train stop Mang’ula (which is before the end station Mbeya) and you will be there. One first class ticket to Mang'ula on an express train costs 25,600 tsh ($10). To see Tazara rail schedule click here.
Note that TAZARA is notoriously unreliable and the trains are frequently late or cancelled all together even if a ticket has been purchased in advance.
Accommodation - Twiga Hotel: this hotel is a budget option and is located around 1 km away from the Udzungwa National Park Entrance. Twiga hotel is quite simple, and has rooms with twin and single beds. The restaurant serves basic meals for a decent price. Twiga hotel is run by TANAPA (Tanzania National Park Authority). It is nothing special, but it's a simple and clean place to rest your head if you are on a budget.
- Hondo Hondo Forest Camp: see rates here
- Guest houses in Mang'ula A or B is around 15,000-20,000 tsh per room.
Park fees
Non-Tanzanians: $30 for adults and $5 for children (5-16 yrs) plus 18% VAT per day
Tanzanians: 1,000 tsh ($0,50) for adults and 500 tsh ($0,25) for children (5-16 yrs) per day
Camping fees for non-Tanzanians: $30 for adults and $5 for children (5-16 yrs) plus 18% VAT per night
Camping fees for Tanzanians: 1,000 tsh ($0,50) for adults and 500 tsh ($0,25) for children (5-16 yrs) per night
Tour guide/Ranger: $10 per group for non-Tanzanians and 500 ths ($0,50) per group for Tanzanians. For groups bigger than 8 people you need an additional ranger.
When to go Possible year round although slippery in the rains.The dry season is June-October before the short rains in November-December but be prepared for rain anytime.
What to choose
In our opinion, what you gain from visiting Udzungwa by yourself is little to nothing compared with traveling with a trusted tour operator. When we add up the park fees and the cost (and the hassle) of getting to Udzungwa from Dar and findi,ng decent accommodation it makes no sense for an inexperienced traveler to go solo. Traveling with Kanuth made the whole experience pleasant and head ache free. And they have very fair prices which we love. It is not sensible to trust all low cost tour operators because you truly get what you pay for and a lot of times they provide ill informed guides with little people skills. Make sure to shop around for tour operators and look at reviews. We hope this article helped you to make an informed decision on how to enjoy Udzungwa Mountain.
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