Kitulo National Park

Kitulo National Park, nicknamed the Serengeti of Flowers, is the first National Park in tropical Africa to be established primarily for its floristic importance in Tanzania. Host one of the greatest floral spectacles of the world with 350 species of Vascular plants. Including 45 varieties of terrestrial orchid!

Visitors can walk across the grasslands to watch birds and wildflowers. Hill climbing in mountain ranges is also offered. Hiking from the park across the Livingstone Mountains is another opportunity and will lead to the breathtaking Matema beach in Lake Nyasa. Indeed, it is a rare botanical marvel, home to a newly discovered monkey species that erupts into a riotous wild-flowered display of breathtaking scale and diversity during the main rain season.

Kitulo National Park supports the largest and most important montane grassland community in Tanzania. But Kitulo, a botanist and Hiker’s paradise, is also highly attractive to bird watchers. Tanzania’s only population of Denham’s Bustard is a resident, alongside blue swallow and such range-restricted species as mountain marsh widow, Njombe Cisticola, and Kipengere seedeater.

Tourists can hike in the specially developed trail system. These include open walking across the grasslands to watch birds and wildflowers, and hill climbing on the neighboring ranges. A half-day hike from the park across the Livingstone Mountains leads to the scenic Matema beach on Lake Nyasa.

The Highland Mangabey, famously known as Kipunji, is the first new monkey species discovered in Africa in 20 years.

Why go on safari in Kitulo National Park

Although sparse in the big game, this natural botanical garden is highly alluring to bird watchers who thrill by sightings of rare Denham’s bustard, the endangered blue swallow, mountain marsh widow, Njombe cisticola, and Kipengere seedeater.

Endemic species of butterfly, chameleon, lizard, and frog further enhance the biological wealth of God’s Garden. Unique and the only of its kind in Africa for natural orchids and birds, this park was gazetted last year for tourists.

Open walking safaris through the grasslands watching birds and wildflowers, and hill hiking on the neighboring ranges during the day, give a visitor fantastic views of Lake Nyasa and its beautiful Matema Beach down the mountains.

When fully flocked, Kitulo National Park will be the leading nature conservation park in Africa, specializing in orchid holidays with fewer wildlife itineraries. It will add a new product to Tanzania’s wildlife-based tourism, which so far has been competing with other destinations like Kenya, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.

Because of its cool and moderate weather, similar to Mediterranean or European conditions, the area has since then attracted several British and American settlers in the 1920s who reared livestock and practiced small-scale tourist projects.