Mt. Rungwe: Trip II

 

Peak!

We had visited Mt. Rungwe in the rainy season but failed to summit. Now we're in the heart of the dry season we figured we'd give it another try. We felt well prepared to camp two nights which would allow us to spend the entire day hiking while also enjoying the environs of the campsite. 

The campsite has rustic though worn covered huts and basic tables and benches. There is a small stream very close to the camp that provides water for cooking and bathing. There is a basic pit toilet with a plastic covering to provide some sort of privacy. The only downside of the camp is that depending on the wind, you can sometimes hear music and noise from the nearby village but it's quite distant and irregular. 

Our hike was overall a success though the last quarter to half was steep and challenging. We felt the thinness of the air and moved extremely slow on our ascent. This begins at the bamboo zone and continues up through the grasslands and peak. As you can see from the elevation map below, it's straight up! 

The views at the top were nice and the air was chilly. There were loads of interesting montane grasses and flowers and we enjoyed a White-naped Raven and a pair of Hawk-Eagles that soared at eye level. The descent was much quicker though taxing on the knees. At the second campsite we saw a trail towards the east and we later found out this leads to a crater, perhaps next time we will find it!

Elevation change and distance on the descent.

Beautiful bamboo layer.

A view midway up.

The campsite.

Kitulo National Park: Trip II

Overlooking the valley to the south. 

Our first visit to Kitulo National Park was in the dry season and as a result we were excited to visit in the wet season. After all, the park is most famous for its flowers. Although the park does not have much wildlife the unique setting of a highland grassland is a treat in itself.

We arrived on Saturday in the afternoon and enjoyed a drive through the north part of the park. We tried to reach a waterfall on the east end of the park but unfortunately the road was blocked by a tree fall. It was unfortunate as we had successfully passed through an extremely muddy area and were feeling good only to have to turn around and struggle through the mud again without having seen the waterfall. However, the ride back to the campsite was nice and we enjoyed a lookout point across the south end of the park.

The campsite was greatly improved since the last time we stayed and they have even built two permanent structures nearby. They are a bit of an eyesore as well as a visible phone tower but it's part of what comes with a recently gazetted park. Kitulo was used in the past for grazing and there are even villages and farms directly on the border and interwoven around the park. Locals drive motorcycles and buses through the park which takes away from the aesthetic a bit. Still, there are parts of the park and recently opened roads that allow you to drive to the isolated part of the park and feel the unique isolation and environment.

Grassland in the evening. 

Beautiful cloud cover in the morning. 

Kitulo National Park

Clouds coming in

This weekend we finally had the chance to visit Kitulo National Park, the first national park in sub-Saharan Africa to be gazetted primarily for its flora. Recently gazetted in 2005, the park is somewhat similar to Saadani National Park in that there are a few villages scattered throughout and the impact of humans is still visible across most of the landscape. However, it's a very unique area and even though we didn't visit during the flowering time, we still felt the park was well worth the visit for its unique montane grasslands and views from the plateau.

Kitulo National Park is located at 2,600 meters (8,500 ft) on a plateau and the majority of the park is montane grasslands. There are stunning views of forested mountains and valleys on the south side of the park as well. From the main highway we drove up a very steep road to the nearby village of Matamba. The temperature was extremely chilly and the area was largely dominated by agriculture with a variety of crops from maize to wheat. We found a comfortable guesthouse to spend the night and the next day drove about 20 minutes up even higher to the park gate.

Driving into the park provided a stunning view of the plateau and grasslands. We initially drove through the grasslands to the southern edge of the park and did some light hiking overlooking the mountains and villages below. The views were incredible and the clouds passed right in front of us. We then drove through the grasslands stopping at various points to check out the montane flora as well as the vistas. There was a small waterfall that we stopped at on the way to larger waterfall, though unfortunately we never made it to the larger waterfall due to the road being blocked and running out of time.

Kitulo National Park is known for its hiking and although we did some short hikes, we'd like to return during the flowering season to do a longer hike. It was unfortunate that the eastern part of the park is cut in half by an area that is quite developed with large cattle farms and expansive agriculture. There are also a steady stream of motorcycles and buses that go through the main park roads which can dampen the feeling of isolation and wilderness. There is only one other drivable road in the park that is not on the main roads and it's in quite poor condition.

Overall we quite enjoyed the park and hope to come back for a longer hike. The rains will certainly make the roads much more challenging. Getting to the village was difficult enough in the dry season and the roads in the park were also in very poor condition. It's unfortunate the park is so isolated as it requires a concentrated effort to get there and I wouldn't be surprised if people were disappointed since the wildlife is so sparse. We only saw two Mountain Reedbuck and although we saw some unique birds, there was also very sparse birdlife. However, if one is interested to take in the scenery and especially the flowers (in the rainy season), then the park does not disappoint!  

Grasslands in the morning

Looking south over the mountains

More clouds moving in 

Crossing a bridge over the grasslands 

Ana checking out the landscape

A cool little waterfall

More grasslands