Kitulo National Park is a protected area of montane grassland on the
Kitulo Plateau in the southern highlands of Tanzania. The park is at an elevation of 2,600 metres
(8,500 ft) between the peaks of the Kipengere and Poroto mountains and
covers an area of 412.9 square kilometres (159.4 sq mi), lying
in Mbeya Region and Njombe Region. The park is
administered by Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) and is the first national park in
tropical Africa to
be established primarily to protect its flora.
Locals refer to the Kitulo Plateau as "Bustani ya
Mungu" ("The Garden of God"), while botanists have referred to it as the "Serengeti of
Flowers".
Protection of the Kitulo Plateau's unique flora was
first proposed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in response to the growing international
trade in orchid tubers
and increased hunting and logging activities in the surrounding
forests. In 2002, President Benjamin Mkapa announced
the establishment of the park. The park was formally gazetted in
2005, becoming Tanzania's fourteenth national park. TANAPA has stated that
the park could be expanded in the future to include the neighbouring Mount
Rungwe forest.
Moraea callista, a species of
iris found in Kitulo National Park
In 2005, field scientists from the WCS discovered a
new species of primate on and around Mount Rungwe and in the Livingstone Forest
area of the park. Initially known as the Highland Mangabey, later changed
to its Tanzanian name of Kipunji, it is one of the 25 most endangered primates in the
world.
The
eminently hike-able park is carpeted in wildflowers for six months of the year,
from November to April. There is a documented 350 species of wild flowers
including lilies and fields of daisies most of them are wild flowers and other
such attractive, natural plants, which no doubt at all, will attract visitors
to go there. Recorded 45 endemic orchid species are found only in the park than
any other part of the world.
.
Although
sparse in big game, this natural botanical garden is highly alluring to bird
watchers who thrill to 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 of its kind in Africa for natural
orchids and birds, this park has been gazetted last year set for tourists.
Kitulo
National Park stands alone, boasting of being the only tourist attractive site
in the continent offering floristic visits than the traditional wildlife
photographic holidays which most tourists to Tanzania are used to experience.
Tourists from all corners of the world are now exposed to this park, and are
expected to book their itineraries to this new park.