Kitulo National Park

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.

Excellent report and brought back memories. I worked in that area in the mid-80s long before Kitulo was a NP. It was a favoured area of Nyrere's where a number of things like dairy projects had been tried and failed. I remember driving in metre deep volcanic dust that created a huge cloud behind you and meant that you had to keep windows tight shut until the cloud had subsided whenever you stopped.

My Land Rover broke its suspension (surprise!) but there was a Landie graveyard up there (due to the number of failed projects) with a lone Japanese volunteer and we managed to find the correct bolt and fix my suspension. I spent 5m in that part of Iringa Region with my Landie and a roof tent - happy days!

Kaz, I have wanted to visit Kitulu for many years, maybe with this info this will be the year! I have read that you can hike to Matemba beach but it looks a long way to me, however if you can hike as far as Mt Rungwe then I know the way back to Kyimo from there. Your guides contact details would be great please

I'll PM them to you. He's a botanist so knows all about the flowers (he worked with Tim Davenport, who is one of the joint authors of Orchids and Wild Flowers of Kitulo Plateau) but he really enjoys the hiking trips too. I'm sure if it's possible to hike all the way to Lake Nyasa, he will know about it!

Hi,

I am planning to hike the Livingstone Mountain range, so far I have managed to find names such as Mount Rungwe, Poroto and Kipengela. Also Ngozi crater.

Can anyone please advise me on how to go about?

Are there any hiking routes?

I read that there is a beautiful crater lake somewhere, is it true?

Thank you in advance!

Ibrahim : )

Hi,
yes Ngosi is a beautiful crater Lake as is Masoko.

As for hiking in the Livingstone Mountains are you starting in Kitulu NP ? if so Kas (on this web site is your man) as he went there earlier this year. He has given me the mob number of a guide there as we hope to visit if we have time.

There is also a really beautiful waterfall to hike to in the mountains from Matemba Beach

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