Southern Tanzania
Kitulo Plateau National Park
The garden of God
Overview
Africa's first national park created to protect flowers. For a few months each year the Kitulo Plateau turns into 400 square kilometres of orchids, and almost nobody comes to see it.
Locals call it Bustani ya Mungu — the Garden of God. Botanists, less romantically, call it one of the great floral spectacles of the tropics: over 350 vascular plant species including 45 varieties of terrestrial orchid, blooming together across high montane grassland from late November into April.
There are no big cats and no elephants here. Kitulo is for walkers, birders and botanists, and for travellers who have grown tired of measuring a day by how many predators they photographed.
The landscape
High rolling grassland between 2,600 and 3,000 metres, ringed by the peaks of the Kipengere, Poroto and Livingstone ranges.
Quick facts
- Size
- 412 km²
- Altitude
- 2,600 – 3,000 m
- Famous for
- Orchids and montane wildflowers
- Nearest town
- Mbeya, ≈ 2 hours
Wildlife
Who lives here
- 45 species of terrestrial orchid and over 350 plants in total
- Denham's bustard, blue swallow and the endemic Kipunji monkey nearby
- Mountain reedbuck and eland on the open grassland
- Rare butterflies, chameleons and lizards
Seasons
When to come
Flowering seasonDecember – April
The reason to come; peak bloom is usually January to March.
Dry seasonJune – October
Clear hiking weather but the plateau is brown and bare.
Experiences
Wildflower walks · Plateau hiking · Birdwatching · Photography · Livingstone Mountains treks
In Pictures
Scenes from Kitulo
Journeys Here
Safaris that visit Kitulo Plateau National Park
7 Days / 6 NightsTarangire · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti
Serengeti Signature Safari
The essential northern circuit, done properly
View journey
8 Days / 7 NightsNgorongoro Crater · Serengeti
Great Migration Safari
Follow the greatest show on Earth
View journey9 Days / 8 NightsMount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro — Machame Route
Seven days to the roof of Africa
View journeyGood to Know
Questions, answered
In flowering season, for anyone with an interest in plants, birds or hiking — absolutely. Outside it, honestly, no. This is a park with a season.
Southern
Pairs well on the southern circuit
Kitulo Plateau National Park is one of 5 destinations on the southern circuit. Most itineraries combine two or three.
