Exploring the Ukaguru Mountains.

The Ukaguru Mountains are part of the hugely important Eastern Arc Range which comprises about 2% of the land area of Tanzania, contains over 90% of the plant and animal species and whose catchment is responsible for 61.5% of the electricity supply. Many of the ranges in the Eastern Arc see very little tourism, despite their high biodiversity, as they are remote and have difficult access. Exactly what I was looking for!

Having departed Dar early, we followed the road from Morogoro towards Dodoma, taking a sharp left at Gairo. Just outside the town we stopped for a scenic picnic before climbing out of the rain-shadow up to the Ukaguru Highlands. The road was difficult and brief digging was required on a couple of occasions. We were helped by numerous friendly villagers.

We passed various small villages with stunning views of cloud-capped mountains, and arrived at Mandege Forest Station. Here there was a brief stop before heading off into the forest. We drove down a small track with forest on each side until we reach the foot of Mamwera (2264m).

After helping to set up camp in a small clearing just off the track we set off for a short forest walk whilst our cook, Athumani was preparing dinner. The lower forest was quite disturbed with evidence of logging but this was compensated for by the amazing birdlife. We saw several beautiful Orioles whose liquid calls filled the forest whilst Bateleurs circled overhead. We also disturbed a troupe of Sykes monkeys whose irate clammer reverberated through the trees.

Having had a superb dinner we settled into our tents, thankful of the blankets provided and drifted of to the chuckling cries of hyraxes, the hoots of high altitude bush-babies and the occasional hoot of the wood owl.

I awoke with the dawn chill and was presented with a hearty breakfast which we consumed next to the crackling fire, as we planned our ascent of Mamwera Peak. We set off early with our guide Amani, followed paths for convenience as much as we could and used a compass to check that we were heading in the correct direction. Whoever was first in line held a panga in front of them to catch the many near invisible silken traps the spiders had prepared for us, and to clear the occasional barbed bramble crossing the path. We walked in silence and were rewarded by seeing some superb birds and elephant shrew scuttling away into the undergrowth.
The path bent away from our desired direction of travel and we began to thread our way through the forest. This was easy at first as the forest was undisturbed with low light levels penetrating the canopy preventing the growth of a significant understory. This did not last for long and we were soon confronted with a tangled mass of thorns and creepers. As there was no other choice we began to cut our way through, taking turns with the razor sharp panga. This was hard work on a steep
slope. The cause of our obstacle soon became apparent as an old pit saw site became visible. Once we had escaped the tangled tree grave-yard we emerged into a stunning montane forest. The trees were festooned with dripping garlands of moss and we walked through broken cloud. Navigation was difficult as it is easy to be turned around in the forest.

We continued along the undulating ridge towards Mamwera. It is always important to walk carefully in the forest. We encountered a beehive and fled its vindictive humming guardians into an area undergoing Siafu invasion. These army ants are the only insects in the world that consider humans prey. They will kill a tethered goat and have reduced many a captive chicken to gleaming bones. The warriors have jaws that, in emergency, may be used as surgical staples. Even elephants flee them, as did we!

We climbed the final rocky outcrop and walked across a metre wide knife-edge to the peak and where treated to superb views in all directions. We sat amongst the stunted trees, looking through the Old Man’s Beard (long strands of lichen) and voraciously consumed our well earned lunch, confident in the knowledge that very few westerners had ever scaled this peak.

On returning to camp we had a warm bush shower and feasted on a superb meal with local vegetables. It is a rare pleasure to sit beside a fire and feel the satisfaction of climbing a rarely ascended peak accompanied by the receding ache of ones limbs.

As it had not rained we exited the Ukagurus with ease and were soon back on the tarmac. Visiting the Ukaguru Mountains is a true adventure and, as long as you are prepared to accept that it may take a little longer than expected to get in or out, I highly recommend it. For more information email info@wildthingsafaris.com or visit Wild Things Tanzania Safaris for more information.

Roy J. Hinde is currently a director of Wild Things Safaris ltd. He previously worked as a biodiversity research scientist in Tanzania and completed his M.Sc. in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment during that time. For information on visiting the Udzungwa Mountains contact Udzungwa@wildthingsafaris.com or Wild Things Tanzania Safaris also has some superb safari gallery pictures.