SAFARI TO USAMBARA NATIONAL PARK TANZANIA

USAMBARA MOUNTAINS AND AMANI NATURE RESERVE.

This little-known mountain range is one of the gems of Tanzania. Lying north coast, the Usambara’s are a relict patch of the great tropical forests that once spanned Africa from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans, and have more in common with the forests of West Africa than those of East Africa .

The Usambaras are a treasure house of botanical and zoological and Ornithological diversity, with a huge number of endemic tree and plant species and the Birds of course... Although large tracts of the original forests have been levelled for tea planting, enough of the original wilderness remains to make this a hiking, birding and primate-spotting paradise.

Birders will want to keep eyes open for most of the species that are endemic to the Usambara forests and Tanzania in particular – the Usambara eagle owl, Usambara alethe and the Usambara weaver are among others. This is one of the best places in East Africa to see notable birds like the green-headed oriole, Amani sunbird, bar-tailed and Narina trogons and Fischer’s turaco.

Amani was once a resort for holidaying German officials, and there is a basic guesthouse and a campsite set amidst the spectacular forest. The Amani Nature Reserve is an extraordinary place for botanical study. Within its boundaries there are many endemic tree species as well as an interesting relationship between the high level of floral endemism and invading species.

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