I recently visited this lovely park in southern Tanzania.
You can book a day trip from Mbeya, but if you have a couple of days and stay in Matamba village, not only do you get more time in the park, but it's much cheaper and very easy to do by yourself. Thanks to Sisi kwa Sisi in Mbeya for help and advice.
This is what we did. Took a coaster bus from Mbeya to Chimala, 70km north on the TanZam highway. The fare was 3000Tsh and it took under 2 hours. There is plenty of transport, but go in the morning as there is only one bus from Chimala to Matamba. This is the Matamba Express, which left Chimala at about 12.30pm, took 3hrs and cost 4000Tsh. The road seems mainly to be rock, so it's a slow ride, but the scenery is stunning.
In Matamba, we stayed at Rena Blumen Lodge, paying 15000Tsh for a room with one (big) bed, I think it was 18000Tsh for a twin. I really liked it - large, clean, comfortable rooms opening onto a central courtyard, with a busy small bar/restaurant at the front, where we got chatting to many of the locals in the evenings. The stylish lady who runs the place can provide good meals, or there are a couple of small eateries in the village.
There is only one official park guide, Japhary Ngogo, and we were lucky that our bus driver is friends with him and called him to come and discuss plans with us. (If anyone would like Japhary's phone number or email, please send me a PM). Otherwse, the TANAPA office is an inconvenient 3.6km from the village and closes at 4pm.
Our costs were: park entry fees us$30pp a day, guide fee $20 (preferably paid in Tsh), 60,000Tsh car hire, 20,000Tsh to take the car into the park and 5000Tsh for the guide's entry fee.
The park is lovely, a high plateau of rolling grassland with masses of flowers, including ground orchids (apparently more than 40 different species) proteas, bell flowers, sundew plants, gladioli. etc... between Dec and April. This is what I wanted to see, but there are also lots of birds, waterfalls and streams, great hiking (you can camp in the park, although I think that may cost another $30pp), the Mount Livingstone forest and Nhumbe Valley with huge juniper trees.
Leaving Matamba, there are buses to Mbeya at 5am and 6am (7000Tsh) you can book the day before. They take a diffent route down, a remarkably steep, switchback road which heads so directly down the escarpement you're at the bottom in about an hour an exhilarating ride, but not one I'd fancy if it was wet, that would just be scary.
All in, one of the highlights of my trip.
