Amani Nature Reserve
Amani is the largest forested block in the East Usambara Mountains and occupies the southern extremity of the range. The Amani Botanical Garden, established in 1902, is one of the oldest Botanical Gardens in Africa.
It covers 340 ha, and more than 1,000 plant species from around the world have been introduced to the garden. This garden is valuable for conservation, education, and research.
The Amani Nature Reserve consists of tall, luxurious sub-montane forests and deciduous to semi-deciduous lowland forests with an Area (ha) of 8,380 ha (This includes 1,065 ha of submontane forest). Amani is located in the Tanga region and lies within the two districts of Muheza and Korogwe.
The altitudinal range is approximately 300–1,128 m (Kimbo Peak), with a central plateau at a mean altitude of 930 m.
The western side borders Lwengera Valley and rises sharply from the lowlands at 150-300 m to form rocky escarpments, such as Mnyuzi Scarp.
The Amani proximity (40 km) to the Indian Ocean is the wettest of all the East Usambara forest blocks, with at least 100 mm of rain falling in most months.
Monthly rainfall peaks from April-May and October-December. Mean annual humidity is 87 % in the morning and 77 % at midday.
The mean annual temperature at Amani Conservation Centre (900 m) is 20.6 °C, with mean daily minimum and maximum temperatures of 16.3 °C and 24.9 °C, respectively. The hottest season is January-February and the coolest is July-September.
The reserve has exceptional conservation values, including a rainforest, biological diversity, endemic, endangered, and threatened flora and fauna, a water catchment, and soil conservation.
There are also historical sites and the famous Amani Botanical Garden, without forgetting the ethical botanical values for the local community.
The Amani Nature Reserve is internationally renowned for its high level of endemism (i.e., species found here and nowhere else).
For example, more than a quarter of the 30 or so amphibian and reptile species in the East Usambara are found nowhere else in the world. Among plant communities, submontane forests are particularly rich in endemic species.
The typical tree species include Cephalosphaera usambarensis, Allanblackia stuhlmannii, Albizia gummifera, Beilschmiedia kweo, Diospyros abyssinica, Englerodendron usambarense, and Drypetes gerrardii. Epiphytic lichens and bryophytes are abundant, especially in steep summits.
The Usambara Mountains are famous as the home of most African violet (Saintpaulia) species, named after Baron Walter von Saint Paulia Illaire, the German administrator of Tanga Province in the 1890s. Amani Nature Reserve is a center for biological diversity.
The floristic composition is highly diverse, with 2012 vascular plant species per hectare.
Thus, large populations of the endemic species are found within Amani Natural Reserve. The Reserve has been likened to the African equivalent of the Galápagos Islands in terms of its endemism and biodiversity. Therefore, it is considered one of the most important forest blocks in Africa.
Approximately 3450 vascular plant species are recorded in the Usambara Mountains, and more than one-quarter are likely endemic or near-endemic. In addition to the variety of plants, the mountains host several endemic or rare faunal species, including the Usambara eagle-owl and a viviparous frog species.
East Usambara is roughly equidistant from the capital city of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, and the centers of the Northern tourism circuit, Moshi and Arusha.
Muheza at the foot of the mountains is a 4-5 hour drive on a good tarmac road from either Dar es Salaam (330 km) or Moshi (320 km). Buses take 6-8 hours to reach Muheza. Muheza is 35 km (30 minutes) from the coastal town of Tanga, accessible via a tarmac road.
There is an airstrip in Tanga city, where local flights from Dar es Salaam and/or via Zanzibar operate.
For travelers arriving in Muheza late in the afternoon, simple accommodation is available. Still, a wider range of accommodation and higher standards are available in Tanga city.
Although the area has been the focus of conservation efforts and botanical research for over a century, the Amani Nature Reserve has been protected only since 1997. International efforts to preserve the beauty of the Usambara forests within their boundaries have met with much local success
Amani is rich in waterfalls, with a beautiful viewpoint from which you can also see the sunset; it also offers night walks, forest hiking, mountain biking, and birdwatching. In addition, one can enjoy the beauty of the Tanga Amboni caves.
The beautiful town of Pangani is a small town on East Africa’s coast, 50 km South of Tanga, with a long cultural history.
The city has been influenced by Arabic, German, Asian, and British colonial rule, without forgetting the white beach sand of Saadani and the only National Park on the beach.
In Tanzania’s national parks, guided nature walks have been prohibited. Still, they are a unique feature of the nature reserves and offer an opportunity to observe the area’s flora and fauna up close.
For the aspiring African botanist, Amani Nature Reserve’s incredible diversity of plant life – between 600 and 1,000 different species – is sure to attract.
The East Usambara Conservation Area (Amani Nature Reserve) establishes and maintains nature trails and trains guides to encourage village collaboration and conservation.
Short or long walks can be arranged, and the guides are very knowledgeable about local species, bird and insect life, and traditional plant uses.
