Kitulo National Park

Kitulo National Park is locally known as Bustani ya Mungu, “The Garden of God.” In contrast, botanists have dubbed it the Serengeti of Flowers, host to ‘one of the great floral spectacles of the world.

Kitulo is a rare botanical marvel, home to 350 vascular plant species, including 45 terrestrial orchid varieties, which erupt into a riotous wildflower display of breathtaking scale and diversity during the primary rainy season from late November to April.

Perched at around 2,600 meters (8,500 ft) between the rugged peaks of the Kipengere, Poroto, and Livingstone Mountains, the well-watered volcanic soils of Kitulo support the largest and most important montane grassland community in Tanzania.

With its unique wildflower species, birds singing and migrating to the highland forests, Kitulo Plateau National Park is the latest and a newcomer to Tanzania’s tourist attractions.

Bustani ya Mungu (God’s Garden) is the visitor’s name given to this new park, the only of its kind in Africa, where wildflowers, birds, and harmonious grass-eating mammals dominate.

Kitulo Plateau is perched between the rugged peaks of the Kipengere, Livingstone, and Poroto Mountains in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. It is the site of one of the world’s great floral spectacles.

The park is carpeted with wildflowers for six months of the year, from November to April.

There are 350 documented species of wildflowers, including lilies and fields of daisies.

Although sparse in the big game, this natural botanical garden is highly alluring to bird watchers who thrill at 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 park of its kind in Africa for natural orchids and birds, this park was gazetted last year and is designed for tourists.

Kitulo National Park stands alone, being the only tourist attraction on the continent that offers floristic visits rather than the traditional wildlife photography holidays most tourists to Tanzania are used to.

Tourists from around the world are now aware of this park and are expected to include it in their itineraries.

The park covers 413 kilometers of forestland, dominated by plant life and a few wild animals, which together form a natural habitat that is a tourist attraction in itself.

The park’s scenery is often compared to the Biblical Garden of Eden, according to most visitors.

There are about 400 plant species, most of them wildflowers and other attractive, natural plants, which will undoubtedly attract visitors.

Recorded 45 endemic orchid species are found only in the park than in any other part of the world.

In addition to its natural attractions and uniqueness, Kitulo Plateau serves as a resting site for migratory birds from across the continent during specific periods of the year as they travel to Europe.

It is only in this park that migrating Storks rest while flying from Cape Town, South Africa, to Northern Europe.

European White Storks and other stork species from Scandinavian countries, via West Africa, migrate to breed on the Kitulo Plateau, flying across Europe and Africa each year.

These large, attractive birds stop in this park for several months before continuing their long journey across the continent.

Kitulo National Park is Africa’s only natural habitat area, perched at an altitude higher than any other park on the continent.

It is located 3,000 meters above sea level on the East African massif, much influenced by the eastern Rim of the Great Rift Valley, which stretches from the Red Sea in the Middle East across North and East Africa to Mozambique in Southern Africa.

To reach the park, one has to drive from Chimala town along the Dar es Salaam to Mbeya highway, then climb the scenic plateau through 57 pin-corners through the spectacular rough road known as “Hamsini na Saba” or Fifty-Seven by the number of its pin, sharp corners.

After a few hours of slow driving in the 4×4, one reaches Matamba, the temporary park headquarters, about 50 km south of Chimala.

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

Wildflowers bloom from December to April, and the best time to visit the park is from September to November.

From June to August, the entire park is shrouded in fog, with no daytime visibility, making it difficult to appreciate its beauty.

Before its transformation into a tourist park, the area was a livestock ranch for breeding Merino sheep from Australia and European cattle breeds.

British officers mapped the area in 1920 for ranching purposes. Because of its calm, moderate climate, similar to Mediterranean or European conditions, the area has since attracted several British and American settlers who raised livestock and operated small-scale tourism projects.

The beautiful scenery of the land below makes the park an ideal place to pay a visit.

This unique scenery brings it closer to the northern Tanzania nature parks of Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Kilimanjaro.

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 has so far competed with destinations such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. 

What to do in Kitulo National Park

  • Good hiking trails exist and soon will be developed into a formal trail system. 
  • Open walking across the grasslands to watch birds and wildflowers. 
  • Hill climbing on the neighboring ranges. A half-day hike from the park across the Livingstone Mountains leads to the sumptuous Matema Beach on Lake Nyasa.

Tanzania Travel Tips

Our team carefully researched and focused on trips that attract people with the same interests and naturally get on well with each other through their shared interests.

Once you confirm your booking on a tour you will be sent further practical information – packing tips, detailed itineraries, including advice on health, passport and visa requirements, and minimum and maximum numbers of guests on tours.

Memorable meals are a hallmark of an excellent holiday. With the support of the best cooks, the quality of food and drink service is guaranteed.

Depending on the service level or tour type you have chosen, a pre-discussion with your tour planner is a win-win for an enjoyable trip.

Our cook accompanies other tours, and other services are included with our accommodation partners, including hotels, private camps, and luxury lodges.

The answer is absolute yes! The areas where safaris are organized are safe and free of political chaos.

We conduct safaris in politically stable regions to ensure our clients’ safety and enjoyment.

Our Professional Safari Guides are well-trained about wild animal behaviors, and they have enough experience to lead our clients in the wilderness.

Our vehicles are 4×4 Toyota Land Cruisers and Land Rovers with a hatched roof to give maximum visibility of the game.

African safaris offer unlimited sightseeing; millions of animals, birds, and plant life are the defining features of the African savanna. You roam across the countryside in search of Elephants, Lions, Rhinos, Cape buffalo, and Leopards (the so-called “Big Five”).

On any given day, you will encounter Blue Wildebeests, Zebras, a large variety of antelope species, Gazelles, Giraffes, Baboons, and Hippos. The birdlife is fantastic – in some areas, up to 400 bird species have been identified!

Think of the majestic Baobab tree (some tribes believe that the tree was indeed planted upside-down!), and there are hundreds of varieties of thorn trees! You will also see the acacia-dotted landscape, endless plains, majestic mountains, and the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises imaginable! Think of a late afternoon thunderstorm, short but violent, and then the beautiful rainbow.

Tanzania’s destinations are accessible year-round, but we recommend scheduling your safari during the dry season for the best sightings, as grasses and bush are at their least dense—July to October and December through February. The green session includes March through June. Discuss with us for the best option if you have also a plan to coincide with the Wildebeest Migration in Serengeti National Park.

(We suggest you remember) insect repellent (the best way to prevent malaria and other insect-borne diseases), sunscreen, cap or hat, sunglasses, binoculars, detergent powder if you want to wash some clothes yourself, hand-wipes small flashlight, aspirin, diarrhea medicine, rain jacket, poncho, or collapsible umbrella, plastic bags (for wet clothes, swimsuit and for keeping dust away from camera equipment), Kleenex/toilet tissue a neck chain for eyeglasses if you take them off to use binoculars and cameras, any medical prescription you need, masking tape or labels for marking exposed films cans, film, extra camera batteries.

Although more than 200 languages and dialects are spoken across Africa, this is not a problem, as English is widely spoken in East and Southern Africa. In addition to English, all our professional guides are multilingual, so we have you covered.

African safaris offer unlimited sightseeing; millions of animals, birds, and plant life are the defining features of the African savanna. You roam across the countryside in search of Elephants, Lions, Rhinos, Cape buffalo, and Leopards (the so-called “Big Five”).

On any given day, you will encounter Blue Wildebeests, Zebras, a large variety of antelope species, Gazelles, Giraffes, Baboons, and Hippos. The birdlife is fantastic – in some areas, up to 400 bird species have been identified!

Think of the majestic Baobab tree (some tribes believe that the tree was indeed planted upside-down!), and there are hundreds of varieties of thorn trees! You will also see the acacia-dotted landscape, endless plains, majestic mountains, and the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises imaginable! Think of a late afternoon thunderstorm, short but violent, and then the beautiful rainbow.